India’s Pooja won the bronze medal in the women’s high jump at the Asian Games, clearing 1.84m in the final on Tuesday. It is India’s first medal in the event in 24 years.

The 19-year-old briefly led the competition after clearing 1.84m. She then failed all three attempts at 1.87m and had to settle for third place.

Uzbekistan’s Barnokhon Sayfullaeva won gold with a personal best of 1.90m. Kazakhstan’s Kristina Ovchinnikova took silver with 1.87m.

The bronze ended a long wait going back to Bobby Aloysius, who won silver in 2002. Pooja is the national record holder with 1.93m, set at the Asian Under-20 Championships earlier this year.

Her medal added to India’s athletics haul on a day of multiple podiums. Supriya Basavaraju, the other Indian in the final, finished 12th with 1.75m. Her coach said the focus will now shift to crossing the 1.90m barrier consistently. With the Asian record in sight, Pooja is seen as one of India’s brightest athletics prospects.