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Report12 Aug 2005


Event Report - Women Pole Vault Final

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Isinbayeva Dazzles With Eighteenth World Record

The biggest news of the week could have occurred in the women’s pole vault had Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) failed to win.  But it didn’t happen, so this was simply another of those routine days at the vaulting pit for the Russian. 

“Routine”, of course, means World Record in Isinbayeva’s case.

Even the spectators seemed to agree, biding their time by practicing the “wave” as they awaited Isinbayeva’s anticipated record attempt.   Even former champion Stacy Dragila was one of the intense fans, snapping pictures with a digital camera from her seat in the tribune. 

Finally, with all others eliminated at 4.75, the bar went up to 5.01, almost 2½ hours after the event started.   Glancing to the south tribune where her coach was semaphoring wind directions, the Russian nudged the bar off on the way up during her first attempt, but the second jump brought her world-record total to eighteen, half of which have occurred this season.  

It also brought her past the halfway point in her drive to match the thirty-five world records set by Sergey Bubka in the men’s pole vault.   And of course, it was accompanied by her trademark back-flip in the vaulting pit. 

For Isinbayeva, a five-jump night is a long one, but this one carried her biggest single paycheck so far, with a $60,000 first-place prize coupled with a $100,000 world-record bonus.   The victory also represented her first World Championships win, an upward move from the bronze she captured two years ago in Paris. 

“Tonight the world record height seemed to be extremely high,” said the Russian in looking back on her achievement.  “It was really difficult to jump at that height.  But I’m sure I’ll be able to clear 5.02 yet this season.” 

In reflecting on her gold medal, she noted that “becoming world champion was not a dream, but the target.” 

The qualifying round of the women’s pole vault last Sunday seemed like a distant memory, as the already unusually long three-day gap between the preliminaries and final was stretched another two days for a weather-related schedule adjustment.  Even on Tuesday, the organizers predicted that heavy rains would make vaulting impossible on the original Wednesday date.   Not coincidentally, it would also have doomed this record. 

The thirteen finalists tonight demonstrated that the extra wait in the Athletes’ Village was not detrimental.  Ten of them survived the first three heights as the bar went to 4.50, where Isinbayeva took her first jump.   

That height proved to be a major barrier, however, as half the remaining field was skimmed away.  Among them were the Athens bronze medallist, Anna Rogowska (POL) and two additional Olympic finalists, Vanessa Boslak (FRA) and Nora Agirre (ESP). 

At 4.60, Isinbayeva now found herself in an unfamiliar position at the top of the vaulting order.  But the 23-year-old wonder used that to her advantage as she flaunted her superiority with a massive margin of more than 30 centimetres in her first-round clearance, as if to say to the four others, “Match this”.  

Only Monika Pyrek (POL) did, as Isinbayeva’s teammate Tatyana Polnova, Gao Shuying (CHN) and former world and European indoor champion Pavla Hamácková (CZE) made their exits, the Czech taking the bronze by virtue of her first-jump success at 4.50. 

Isinbayeva’s first-round 4.70 clearance surprisingly did not bring an immediate pass from Pyrek.  The bronze medallist four years ago in Edmonton took two unsuccessful tries at that height before moving to would-be PB 4.75 for her final miss on her silver-medal night. 

“Yesterday was my 25th birthday, and they call it the silver birthday,” noted the Polish jumper.  “Tonight I was second, so silver is my colour!”

“This is like a victory for me,” she continued.  “Isinbayeva is technically so good, like Sergey Bubka, that I don’t really think I could beat her.” 

Despite the fact Isinbayeva found her record height difficult tonight, she apparently did not end the evening totally exhausted.  “Maybe I’ll go to a night club and dance!” she said as she exited the stadium into a rare, dry Helsinki night.

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