CHENNAI: It was a moment of surprise and exhilaration for pole vaulter Baranica Elangovan and her coach, Milbert Russel, as she leapt 4.22 metres, creating a new national record at the National Indoor Athletics competition in Bhubaneswar last week. The achievement marks years of struggle for both Elangovan and Russel, both hailing from Tamil Nadu.
“We weren’t prepared for this event, per se. We were more focused on the runway technique. But her record creation is a reassurance that we’re doing something right,” he smiles.
“I’m happy about the record but for now, my focus is on bigger competitions,” says the athlete from Mayiladuthurai.
For coach Russel, pole vault, which has been his lifeline since his formative years, began with high jumps and triple jumps. “I saw people jumping with a pole and winning medals, and I wanted to do that. I began with some small sticks at home in Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari,” he begins.
While training at high school with a PT teacher, Coach Don Wilcox spotted his talent and urged him to compete professionally. Soon, Russel was in Chennai for training.
He competed at the national level in the early 2000s, but an injury to his back and the lack of treatment cut short his journey as a professional pole vaulter.
Russel pivoted and began a job as a fitness trainer. But the pole found its way back to him through his batchmate, and former national record holder, VS Surekha.
Surekha and Russel used to train together in Chennai under coach Manickam Raj. After a maternity break, Surekha reached out to Russel for help to lose weight. He offered to get her back into the game instead. That’s how his second trial with the sport began.
With his guidance, Surekha was able to break her record again in 2014. Athletes began seeking out Russel, and so were well-wishers in the form of sponsors.
“A pole costs around Rs 90,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh. And, since I did not have enough, my friends stepped in to help,” he says. Despite all odds, the 44-year-old coach quietly kept training pole vaulters, including Rosy Meena Paulraj, who created the national record in 2022.
Russel started approaching colleges, scouting for his prodigies, and that is how he met Baranica in Ethiraj College for Women.
“I was going to tell him no. No way could I run with a pole so heavy,” recollects the 29-year-old champ. Russel’s first impression of Elangovan wasn’t great either. “I thought she would run away within two weeks,” he laughs.
However, Elangovan’s persistence and dedication helped her overcome the fear and train hard for the sport. Both the coach and his protege were reluctant experts of pole vaulting, as they weren’t sure about pursuing it professionally. So, what changed her mind? “I saw people flying, and I wanted to fly too,” she says.
Her first medal came three years after she started training. The next year, a hurdle came in the form of a severe injury. “In 2019, two days before the Southern Railway trials at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai, she fell into the box due to poor landing mat conditions, resulting in a complete ACL tear and an oblique meniscus tear,” says Russel.
The road to recovery was not easy. Baranica was taken to Coimbatore for surgery, after which she returned to Chennai for rehab. She travelled from Egmore to Nungambakkam every day for physiotherapy from Hari Sankar Raja, who specialises in treating Olympic athletes.
As Baranica came from a sports background, her treatment involved practising movements from the third day of her surgery. “It began with free exercises, slowly building up on the movements, then it was cycling and soon, I began leg-rise movements,” she says.
Baranica was back competing in 6 months and participated in the inter-college competitions in Mangaluru, in which she qualified for the All India University competition the same year. “It was a risk, but I did not want to miss out on a qualifier. I consulted my physiotherapist, but I did not inform my doctors in Coimbatore.”
A year later, in 2020, she qualified for the Southern Railways trials. She hadn’t fully recovered yet. “My body had slowed down, and even mentally, it was hard. I had to practice one day and rest the other. There were no physiotherapists to help us along the way,” she says.
Her treatment and rehab time were a deja vu moment for Russel. “Here, training centres do not have the right facilities for injured athletes. For physiotherapy and further treatment, we have to go out to another neighbourhood, which could be very far from where we train. This adds to the cost and adds to the healing time,” he rues.
In 2023, Baranica moved to Bhubaneswar, where the Reliance Foundation Odisha Athletics High Performance Centre (HPC), Kalinga Stadium, holds all kinds of amenities required for athletes like her. “Now, I am much better as we can access care easily,” she says. Russel is also employed there.
Last year, after a break of two years, Tamil Nadu won five medals in pole vault at the 64th National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships 2025, which turned SDAT’s attention to pole vaulters. “Earlier, SDAT used to have 1-2 poles only. After the win, SDAT officials have promised to increase it and pump more funding into training and rehab facilities. The State government must do more for pole vaulters as it does for other sports,” opines Russel.
For any professional athlete, support from family and loved ones is crucial. Her family has been fully committed to her journey and supports her in every way possible. “My day is blocked with training, sleeping and eating. My family knows that, and they do not disturb me,” she says.
For Baranica, all her days now are spent in training for the 29th National Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships Federation Cup, Jharkhand, to be held in May.