Yelena Isinbayeva

Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva (ru-name|Елена Гаджиевна Исинбаева|Elena Gadžievna Isinbaeva; born birth date|1982|6|3) is a Russian pole vaulter. She is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (2004 and 2008), was elected Female Athlete of the Year by the IAAF twice (2004 and 2005), and Sportswoman of the Year by Laureus. On July 22, 2005, she became the first female pole vaulter to clear 5.00 metres.

At the age of 26 Isinbayeva is seen as the best female pole vaulter in history. She has already been a 9-time major champion (Olympic, World outdoor and indoor champion and European outdoor and indoor champion).

Isinbayeva's current world records are 5.05 m outdoors, a record Isinbayeva set at the Summer Olympics Games in Beijing on August 18, 2008, and 4.95 m indoors, a record set at the Donetsk indoor meeting on February 16, 2008. The former was Isinbayeva's twenty-fourth world record.

Isinbayeva's mother is of Russian ethnicity, while her father is of Tabasaran ethnicity. She was born in Volgograd.

Career

1987-1997

From the age of 5 to 15, Isinbayeva trained as a gymnast in her hometown of Volgograd. She ultimately left the sport because as she grew she was considered too tall to be competitive in gymnastics, ultimately attaining a height of 1.74 m (5' 8½").

1998-2002

In her first big competition, the 1998 World Junior Championships in Annecy, France, Isinbayeva jumped 4.00 m but this left her 10 cm away from the medal placings. In 1999, Isinbayeva improved on this at the World Youth Games in Bydgoszcz, Poland when she cleared 4.10 m to take her first gold medal.

At the 2000 World Juniors Isinbayeva again took first place clearing 4.20 m ahead of German Annika Becker. The same year the women's pole vault made its debut as an Olympic event in Sydney, Australia where Stacy Dragila of United States took gold. 2001 saw another gold medal, this time at the European Junior Championships with a winning height of 4.40 m. Isinbayeva continued to improve in this relatively new event and 2002 saw her clear 4.55 m. at the European Championships finishing 5 cm short of compatriot Svetlana Feofanova's gold medal winning jump.

2003

2003 was another year of progression and saw Isinbayeva win the European Under 23 Championships gold with 4.65 m (in Bydgoszcz). She went onto break the world record clearing 4.82 m on July 13 at a meeting in Gateshead, England which had made her the favourite to take gold at the World Championships the following month, but lack of technique saw her only win bronze with Feofanova taking gold and Becker, this time, pipping her for the silver.

2004

2004 saw the women's pole vault really start to mature as an event and during a meeting at Donetsk, Ukraine, Isinbayeva set a new indoor worlds best, with a height of 4.83 m only to see Feofanova increase this by a single centimetre the following week. The following month at the World's Indoor in March Isinbayeva broke this with a gold medal winning jump of 4.86 m beating reigning indoor & outdoor champion Feofanova into bronze with reigning Olympic champion Dragila taking silver.
June 27 saw Isinbayeva return to Gateshead and once again the world record mark was improved to 4.87 m. Feofanova bounced back the following week to again break the record by a centimetre in Heraklion, Greece. On July 25 in Birmingham, England, Isinbayeva reclaimed the record jumping 4.89 m and five days later in Crystal Palace, London, added a further centimetre to the record. The pole vault was one of the most eagerly awaited events at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and although the competition did not reach the heights that were anticipated the rivalry between Isinbayeva and Feofanova brought the event alive. With all of the other events finished the whole crowd were focused on the pole vault. When Feofanova failed at 4.90 m the gold medal was Isinbayeva's, and she then rubbed salt into her compatriots wound by attempting and clearing a new world record height of 4.91 m. She broke her own record later that year at the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels with a 4.92 m jump.

2005

In July 2005, Isinbayeva broke the world record four times over three separate meetings. First in Lausanne, Switzerland, she added an extra centimetre to her own mark clearing 4.93 m. It was the 14th world record of Isinbayeva's career coming just three months after she broke her own indoor mark (4.89 m) in Lievin. Eleven days later, in Madrid, Spain, she added an additional 2 cm to clear 4.95 m. In Crystal Palace, London on July 22, after improving the record to 4.96 m, she raised the bar to 5.00 m. She then became the first woman pole vaulter to clear this metric barrier, achieving the mark with a single attempt. At the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, she once again broke her own world record, performing 5.01 m in her second attempt, and winning the competition.

2006

At an indoor meeting on February 12 in Donetsk, Ukraine, Isinbayeva set a new indoor world record. She cleared 4.91 m. In August she won the gold medal at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg with a CR of 4.80 metres. This was the only gold medal missing from her collection until that time. In September she won the World Cup, representing Russia, in Athens. Isinbayeva was crowned Laureus World Sports Woman of the Year for the 2006 season.

2007

On 10 February 2007 in Donetsk, Ukraine, Isinbayeva broke the world indoor pole vault record again, by clearing 4.93 metres. It was Isinbayeva's 20th world record. [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/02/10/bc.run.polevault.worldr.ap/index.html?eref=si_more Sports Illustrated 2007] ] On 28 August 2007 Isinbayeva repeated as world champion in Osaka at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics with a modest 4.80 m, then failing three times at setting a new world record at 5.02 m. Her competition did no better than 4.75 m (next 3 competitors).

2008

During the indoor season, Isinbayeva set her twenty-first world record, clearing 4.95 metres on 16 February 2008 in Donetsk, Ukraine. A few weeks later, in Valencia, Spain, Isinbayeva won the World Indoor Championships over Jennifer Stuczynski. Both vaulters achieved the same height, with Isinbayeva winning by virtue of fewer unsuccessful attempts. [ [http://www.iaaf.org/wic08/results/eventCode=3656/racedate=03-08-2008/sex=W/discCode=PV/combCode=hash/roundCode=f/results.html#det IAAF World Indoor Championships, Valencia, 08-Mar-2008] ] On July 11, at her first competition of the season, Rome's Golden Gala, Isinbayeva broke her own world record, clearing 5.03 metres. This was her first world record outdoors since the 2005 World Championships. Isinbayeva stated that she had tried so many times at 5.02 metres and was still unsuccessful, her coach told her to change something and so she attempted 5.03 metres. [ [http://www.iaaf.org/GLE08/news/newsid=46030.html "I am stronger now in my personal condition....Before I was full of problems” - Isinbayeva - ÅF Golden League, Rome] ] This record came just as people began to speculate her fall from the top of pole vaulting, as American Jennifer Stuczynski cleared 4.92 metres at the American Olympic Trials. Isinbayeva stated that this motivated her to maintain her reputation as the world's greatest female pole vaulter. A few weeks later, at the Aviva London Grand Prix, Isinbayeva and Stuczynski competed together for the first time of the outdoor season. Isinbayeva won the competition, with Stuczynski finishing second. Both attempted a new world record of 5.04 metres. Isinbayeva was tantalizingly close on her final attempt, with the bar falling only after Isinbayeva had landed on the mat. [ [http://www.iaaf.org/GP08/news/kind=100/newsid=46301.html Silnov scales 2.38m world lead in London – IAAF World Athletics Tour] ] Isinbayeva broke her 19-day old world record on July 29, in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. She cleared 5.04 metres, her twenty-third world record, on her final attempt. [ [http://www.iaaf.org/GP08/news/kind=100/newsid=46371.html Isinbayeva 5.04m World record; another four season leads in Monaco] ]
At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing on August 18, Isinbayeva prolonged her reign over the Olympic Title, by clearing 5.05m, her 24th world record. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/7519896.stm BBC Sport; Results - Monday 18 August] ]

Reasons for success

Setting 24 world records (14 outdoor and 10 indoor), staying virtually unbeaten since the Olympic Games of 2004 (winning nine straight gold medals in indoor and outdoor championships) and being elected IAAF Female Athlete of the Year in 2004 and 2005, Isinbayeva has established herself as one of the most successful athletes of her generation.

In August 2005, top UK pole vault coach Steve Rippon said to the BBC that "she [Isinbayeva] is one of the few female pole vaulters I look at and think her technique is as good as the men's. In fact, the second part of her jump is probably better than any male pole vaulter currently competing. She has a fantastic technique, she's quite tall (almost 5 ft 9 in) and she runs extremely well." [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4137996.stm BBC Sport 12 August 2005] ]

These statements are confirmed by [http://www.stabhoch.com/pages/Isinbajeva.html close observation of her jumps] ; in detail, Isinbayeva's high level of body control (courtesy of her gymnastics background) especially pays off in the so-called "L-Phase", where it is vital to use the pole's rebound to convert horizontal speed into height. Common mistakes are getting rebounded away in an angle (rather than vertically up) or inability to keep the limbs stiff, both resulting in loss of vertical speed and therefore less height. In Isinbayeva's case, her L-Phase is exemplary.

Personal life

Her father, Gadzhi Gadzhiyevich Isinbayev, is a plumber and a member of a small (70,000-people strong) ethnic group of Tabasarans who mostly live in Dagestan. Her mother, a shop assistant, is an ethnic Russian. Isinbayeva also has a sister named Inna. Isinbayeva was born in a modest environment and remembers that her parents had to make many financial sacrifices in her early career. [http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/story/0,10082,1530393,00.html?gusrc=rss The Guardian July 17, 2005] ] [http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Jan52006/sportscene15524200614.asp deccanherald] ]

She has a bachelor's degree after graduating from the Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture, and is currently studying for her master's. In the Russian club competitions she represents the railroad military team; she is formally an officer in the Russian army, and on August 4, 2005 she was given [http://lenta.ru/news/2005/08/04/isinbayeva/ military rank of senior lieutenant] . On August 19, 2008 she was promoted to the [http://novopol.ru/text50186.html military rank of Captain] .

She features in Toshiba ads promoting their entire product line in Russia.

Major achievements

Results

2004
* 1st - 4.83 m - Pole Vault Stars, Donetsk, Ukraine
* "'1st - 4.86 m - World Indoor Championships, Budapest, Hungary
* 1st - 4.87 m - IAAF Gateshead, Great Britain
* 1st - 4.89 m - Birmingham International Meeting, Great Britain
* 1st - 4.90 m - British Grand Prix London, Great Britain
* "'1st - 4.91 m - Summer Olympics, Athens, Greece
* 1st - 4.92 m - Golden League Brussels, Belgium
* 1st - 4.83 m - 2nd World Atletics Final, Monte Carlo, Monaco

2005
* 1st - 4.87 m - Pole Vault Stars, Donetsk, Ukraine
* "'1st - 4.90 m - European Indoor Championships, Madrid, Spain
* 1st - 4.93 m - IAAF Lausanne, Switzerland
* 1st - 5.00 m - IAAF London, Great Britain
* 1st - 4.79 m - IAAF Stockholm, Sweden
* "'1st - 5.01 m - World Championships, Helsinki, Finland
* 1st - 4.93 m - Golden League Brussels, Belgium
* 1st - 4.74 m - 3rd World Athletics Final, Monte Carlo, Monaco

2006
* 1st - 4.91 m - Pole Vault Stars, Donetsk, Ukraine
* 1st - 4.79 m - Norwich Union Grand Prix, Birmingham, Great Britain
* 1st - 4.72 m - Meeting Gaz de France du Pas-de-Calais, Lievin, France
* "'1st - 4.80 m - World Indoor Championships, Moscow, Russia
* 1st - 4.76 m - IAAF Paris Saint-Denis, France
* 1st - 4.90 m - IAAF Lausanne, Switzerland
* 1st - 4.91 m - IAAF London, Great Britain
* 1st - 4.80 m - European Championships, Gothenburg, Sweden
* 1st - 4.81 m - Golden League Brussels, Belgium
* 1st - 4.75 m - 3rd World Athletics Final, Stuttgart, Germany

2007
* 1st - 4.93 m - Pole Vault Stars, Donetsk, Ukraine
* 1st - 4.73 m - Norwich Union Grand Prix, Birmingham, Great Britain
* 1st - 4.90 m - Golden League Rome, Italy
* "'1st - 4.80 m - World Championships, Osaka, Japan
* 1st - Golden League Brussels, Belgium
* 1st - 4.82 m - Golden League Berlin, Germany

2008
* 1st - 4.95 m - Pole Vault Stars, Donetsk, Ukraine
* "'1st - 4.75 m - World Indoor Championships, Valencia, Spain
* 1st - 5.03 m - Golden Gala, Rome, Italy
* 1st - 5.04 m - Super Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, Monaco
* 1st - 5.05 m - Summer Olympics, Beijing, China
* 1st - 4.88 m - IAAF Zurich, Switzerland

Records

("Records in bold are current ones.")

See also

*Stacy Dragila
*Svetlana Feofanova

Video Interview

* [http://www.flocasts.com/flotrack/search.php?q=yelena+isinbayeva Flotrack.com Video Interview of Yelena Isinbayeva during the 100th Millrose Games]

References

External links

* [http://www.yelenaisinbaeva.com Yelena Isinbayeva - Official Webpage]
* [http://www.spikesmag.com/athletes/Heroes/yelenaisinbayeva.aspx SPIKES Hero profile on www.spikesmag.com]
*iaaf name|id=134797|name=Yelena Isinbayeva

Persondata
NAME = Isinbayeva, Yelena
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Russian pole vaulter
DATE OF BIRTH = 3 June 1982
PLACE OF BIRTH = Volgograd, Russia
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =