From the publishers of THE HINDU VOL.31 :: NO.52 :: Dec. 27, 2008 • Contents
	YEAR-END SPECIAL / ATHLETICS/YELENA ISINBAYEVA’S EXPLOITS Queen of pole vault The striking 26-year-old Yelena Isinbayeva, who “loves to read philosophy” and has a collection of dolphins at home, struck her second Olympic gold at Beijing this year with a World Record 5.05 m jump. She had earlier won at Athens in 2004. By Kunal Diwan. Already touted as the greatest female pole vaulter in history, Russian Yelena Isinbayeva’s hold on her sport is eerily similar to compatriot Sergey Bubka’s domination of the men’s competition in the 1990s. The striking 26-year-old Yelena Isinbayeva, who “loves to read philosophy” and has a collection of dolphins at home, struck her second Olympic gold at Beijing this year with a World Record 5.05m jump. She had earlier won at Athens in 2004. Yelena’s win at Beijing was expected, but even the blindly optimistic would not have predicted the nonplussed manner in which she took top honours. With American vaulter Jennifer Stuczynski turning on the heat in the run up to the Beijing Games, several critics predicted a tough fight in store for the statuesque Russian. Earlier in the year, Isinbayeva had had several failed attempts at various events on 5.02 metres. This prompted her coach to suggest that she straightaway try 5.03 m to override the supposed jinx. The ploy worked like a charm as she set yet another world mark in Rome in July. Her first outdoor season meet with Stuczynski came at the Aviva London Grand Prix. Though Isinbayeva beat her arch rival, she failed to clear what would have been a new world record height (5.04 m). The bar, on that occasion, fell only after she had landed on the mat and she appeared to have made a successful jump. But like all true champions who find untapped reserves of fortitude at events that really matter, Yelena stormed Beijing in style, winning the gold with what was her 24th World Record breaking jump, three years after she had become the first woman to breach the forbidding 5 m mark in London. At the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing, Yelena flashed the victory sign even before she landed on the mat and then celebrated with her trademark somersault. Stuczynski came in second and Russian Svetlana Feofanova took the bronze. In winning her second Olympic gold, Yelena overtook Bubka who has just one Games win to his credit. But as far as the number of World Records broken go, Bubka leads by a long way — 35 to Yelena’s 24. Later in the year, Yelena, along with Jamaican speed demon Usain Bolt, was chosen the IAAF World Athlete of the Year. This was the third time, after 2004, and 2005, that she had received this honour. The 5’,9” Russian’s unparalleled success in pole vault is often attributed to her formative-years grounding in gymnastics. For almost ten years up to 1997, she underwent training in gymnastics at her hometown Volgograd. But after a rapid growth spurt at 15 left her too tall to pursue her original calling, she switched her loyalties to pole vault. Often credited with having a technique as good as most male pole vaulters, Yelena’s control of her air-borne body is considered to be a major forte. Experts have, after prolonged study of her videos, observed that her technique in the crucial ‘L’ phase of the jump is non pareil. The ‘L’ phase of the jump pertains to that segment wherein the vaulter attempts to translate her horizontal velocity into vertical height. Formerly a lieutenant in the Russian Army, the comely athlete was promoted to Captain after her achievement in Beijing. She has admitted several times that her ‘humble’ upbringing was something that was largely responsible for the balanced outlook she brought to the sport of her choice. While dubbing her the ‘Female Sergey Bubka’ may sound quite appropriate, it should be remembered that Yelena has too much talent and personality of her own to be the recipient of second-hand accolades. Printer friendly page   Send this article to Friends by E-Mail Contents • Daily Sports • The Hindu • Business Line • Frontline • Publications • eBooks • Images Copyright © 2008 Sportstar Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of Sportstar.