Puri hails Pooja Singh's Asian Games high jump bronze
Synopsis
Pooja Singh won the women's high jump bronze at the 2026 Asian Games, India's first Asian Games podium in the event since Bobby Aloysius' silver in 2002. Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri hailed the achievement on X, calling it a historic moment for Indian athletics.
Key Takeaways
Pooja Singh won the women's high jump bronze at the 2026 Asian Games .
It is India's first Asian Games medal in women's high jump in 24 years .
Bobby Aloysius last won a medal in this event — a silver — at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan .
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri congratulated Pooja Singh on X on September 29, 2026 .
The result adds momentum to India's women's field athletics ambitions ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics .
India's women's high jump drought at the Asian Games is finally over. Pooja Singh claimed a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday, September 29, ending a 24-year wait for a podium finish in the event — and Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri was quick to mark the moment.
Posting on X, Puri wrote: 'Huge congratulations to Pooja Singh on winning the Women's High Jump Bronze at the #AsianGames2026. India's first Asian Games medal in women's high jump since Bobby Aloysius' silver in 2002! Congratulations, Pooja! Keep soaring higher!'
Twenty-four years since Bobby Aloysius lit up Busan
The last time India stood on an Asian Games podium in women's high jump, Bobby Aloysius was leaping in Busan, South Korea at the 2002 edition — and she came home with silver. That achievement stood alone for nearly a quarter-century, a marker of just how difficult a frontier Asian-level high jump had become for Indian women.
Pooja Singh's bronze does not merely end that wait — it reopens a chapter. In a discipline where centimetres separate medal and obscurity, finishing on the podium at the continental level signals genuine competitive standing.
India's athletics ambitions beyond the podium moment
Indian athletics has grown steadily more competitive at the Asian Games over the past two decades, buoyed by investment in track and field infrastructure and a pipeline of athletes emerging from state academies. Women's field events, however, have remained a tougher frontier. A bronze in high jump, arriving after such a long gap, adds a meaningful data point to India's evolving athletics story.
With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics less than two years away, performances at continental level will shape selection conversations and inform the training targets set for India's field athletes.
Ministers across portfolios have made a habit of amplifying individual sporting milestones on social media — and Puri's post, combining historical context with genuine warmth, captures precisely why this bronze resonates beyond the scoreboard. Twenty-four years is a long time to wait. Pooja Singh just made it worth it.
Point of View
A discipline that had gone unrecognised on the podium since 2002. The government's practice of ministerial social-media amplification of sporting wins reflects a deliberate soft-power strategy: connecting state identity with athletic achievement. With the 2028 Olympics cycle now firmly underway, results like this will feed into selection and funding decisions that shape the size of India's Olympic field squad. The 24-year gap itself tells a story about structural gaps in women's high jump development — gaps this bronze suggests may finally be closing.
NationPress
29 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Pooja Singh and what did she win at the 2026 Asian Games?
Pooja Singh is an Indian track and field athlete who won the women's high jump bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games .
When was India's last Asian Games medal in women's high jump before 2026?
India's previous Asian Games medal in women's high jump was Bobby Aloysius' silver at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea — a gap of 24 years.
Who is Bobby Aloysius?
Bobby Aloysius is a former Indian track and field athlete who won a silver medal in women's high jump at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan .
Why did Hardeep Singh Puri post about the Asian Games?
Hardeep Singh Puri , Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, posted to congratulate Pooja Singh on her bronze medal, noting it was India's first such medal in the event in 24 years.
What is the significance of this medal for Indian athletics?
The bronze ends a 24-year drought for India in women's high jump at the Asian Games and provides momentum ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics .
