Polina Ivanova wins historic Asian Games pole vault bronze
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Polina Ivanova’s 4.15-metre bronze was the country’s first Asian Games medal in the women’s pole vault.
Kazakhstan’s Polina Ivanova won a historic bronze medal in the women’s pole vault at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games on 25 September. The 23-year-old cleared 4.15 metres and shared third place with India’s Baranica Elangovan.
A shared bronze at 4.15 metres
Japan’s Misaki Morota won the competition with 4.55 metres, while China’s Niu Chunge took silver with 4.50. Ivanova and Elangovan produced the same result and identical attempt records, so both athletes received bronze medals.
Kazakhstan’s second finalist, Anna Cherkashina, cleared 4.00 metres and finished seventh.
- Gold — Misaki Morota, Japan: 4.55 m
- Silver — Niu Chunge, China: 4.50 m
- Bronze — Polina Ivanova, Kazakhstan: 4.15 m
- Bronze — Baranica Elangovan, India: 4.15 m
The attempts that secured the medal
Ivanova cleared 3.85 and 4.00 metres on her first attempts. She needed a second attempt at 4.15, then made three unsuccessful attempts at 4.25 metres.
Elangovan followed exactly the same sequence, leaving the athletes tied for third place under the competition rules.
- 3.85 m — cleared on the first attempt
- 4.00 m — cleared on the first attempt
- 4.15 m — cleared on the second attempt
- 4.25 m — three unsuccessful attempts
A historic medal for Kazakhstan
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Ivanova’s bronze became the country’s first Asian Games medal in the women’s pole vault. It was also the national athletics team’s third medal of the Games after Kristina Morozova’s race walking silver and Alina Chistyakova’s heptathlon bronze.
The result adds a new discipline to Kazakhstan’s Asian Games athletics medal history and underlines the depth of the women’s team in Aichi-Nagoya.
A season built around a national record
World Athletics lists Ivanova’s personal best as 4.20 metres, an equal national record set in Busan on 30 May 2026. Her Asian Games clearance came within five centimetres of that mark.
At 23, Ivanova has now added a major senior multi-sport medal to a season in which she reached a new level in her event.
TravelSport congratulates Team Kazakhstan
TravelSport congratulates Polina Ivanova, her coaches and the Kazakhstan national team on this historic result. The bronze is a landmark achievement for the athlete and for Kazakhstan athletics.
We wish the team continued success in Aichi-Nagoya and many more strong performances on the international stage.
You train. We organise.