Yelena Isinbaeva of Russia celebrates setting a new world record of 5.03 meters in the women's pole vault during the Golden Gala IAAF Golden League at the Olympic stadium in Rome July 11, 2008. [Agencies] |
ROME - Just when it seemed someone might challenge Yelena Isinbayeva, the Russian responded with her first pole vault world record in nearly three years.
Isinbayeva cleared 16 feet, 6 inches (5.03 meters) Friday at the Golden Gala meet, improving on her previous mark of 16-5 1/4 (5.01) set at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki, Finland.
American pole vaulter Jenn Stuczynski set an American record of 16 feet, 1 3/4 (4.92) at the US Olympic trials this week to improve her second-place standing on the all-time list, pressuring Isinbayeva to respond before the Beijing Olympics.
"Everybody was saying 'Ah OK, Isinbayeva is finished, we have a new star,'" she said. "So today I was really angry."
Isinbayeva repeatedly had tried to clear 16-5 1/2 (5.02) over the past few seasons and decided with her new coach Vitaly Petrov that a switch to 16-6 might give her a psychological boost.
"(Vitaly) said we have to change something," Isinbayeva said. "I was ready for a world record. My goal today was to beat the world record. In Rome there are great facilities, and the crowd is fantastic; I wanted to do something for them."
Isinbayeva cleared the record height with ease on her second attempt, suggesting she is capable of much more.
"It was not even close to the bar," she said. "It's just the beginning."
Isinbayeva has worked hard to overcome the physical and psychological problems that stopped her from improving on the record since 2005. This was her first outdoor meet this year, and her first appearance altogether since winning her fourth world indoor title in Valencia, Spain, in March.
"I'm stronger now, I run faster and jump higher, but the most important thing is my mind: I'm happy, I'm quiet now, I want to jump," she said. "Before I had problems, and the pole vault was somewhere in the back of my mind."
The 26-year-old Russian has dominated the pole vault since winning the 2004 Olympic title. She has set 12 world records outdoors and 10 indoors, and is the only woman to clear 5 meters.
Her career goal is to eclipse Sergei Bubka's mark of 35 world records.
With all the other events at the meet long finished and the clock past 11 p.m. local time, Isinbayeva got the fans who remained involved by putting her hands together to get the crowd clapping to a beat.
She doused her hands in chalk, raised her pole high toward the sky and dashed down the runway. When she came down, she ran over and leaped into the arms of Petrov, who used to coach Bubka, then draped herself in a Russian flag.
