Isinbayeva vows to raise the bar

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-18 08:12

Yelena Isinbayeva broke her own women's world pole vault record twice last month and figures she will need to raise the mark again in Beijing to capture her second consecutive gold medal.

The Russian is a hot favorite in today's final as defending champion and a two-time world champion after regaining her record form last month, raising her world mark to 5.03m on July 11 at Rome and to 5.04m on July 29 at Monaco.

"To win I think I'll have to beat the world record again," Isinbayeva said.

Yelena Isinbayeva. AfP

Isinbayeva, who has set 23 world records, had not broken the outdoor mark since 2005 but reached new heights after taking inspiration from the words and efforts of her top rival for Beijing gold, American Jenn Stuczynski.

Stuczynski vaulted to second on the all-time list by clearing 4.92m to win last month at the US Olympic trials, where she nearly blew her Beijing dream by botching her first two attempts at her opening height, 4.60m, before clearing.

"That was probably the most pressure I've ever felt," Stuczynski said. "I tried not to get too nervous. I told myself, 'If you make it, you make it. If you don't you deal with it'."

After the victory, Stuczynski threw down a verbal challenge to Isinbayeva.

"I hope we go over and do some damage - kick some Russian butt," Stuczynski said. "I hope it fires them up because we are pretty fired up over here."

Mission accomplished.

Isinbayeva, a former Russian Army lieutenant, had seen her 23-meet win streak snapped indoors in Poland earlier in the year by Russian rival Svetlana Feofanova, the 2004 Olympic runner-up and a former world record holder.

But finding the form that brought four world records within a month in 2005, Isinbayeva answered Stuczynski's challenge.

"When Stuczynski jumped 4.90 then 4.92 it made me so angry because everyone started to say, 'Isinbayeva is finished. We have a new star,'" Isinbayeva said.

"It made me angry and I'm happy for that feeling because I hadn't felt it enough since my last world record."

Feofanova could challenge the 26-year-old for a place on the podium, as might two Polish standouts, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Anna Ragowska and Monika Pyrek, who was fourth at Athens but who has cleared 4.75m this year.

AFP

(China Daily 08/18/2008 page21)