adminMOSCOW. — Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva rightly proclaimed herself the queen of pole vault after outshining Usain Bolt at the world championships, and then promptly announced an 18-month hiatus to have a baby with one eye on a third Olympic title.
There are not many athletes who can outdo Jamaican sprint superstar Bolt, but Isinbayeva managed that in stunning fashion as she won a third world title at a packed, partisan Luzhniki Stadium late on Tuesday.
A capacity, vociferous crowd egged on the 31-year-old, who had not won a major global championships since her triumph at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
A world record in 2009 and a bronze at last year’s London Games aside, many had written off the Russian, attention refocusing on American Jennifer Suhr.
But Isinbayeva’s performance in an utterly gripping pole vault competition buried any talk that she was a spent force.
“The era of Yelena Isinbayeva is back, it never finished! I’m the pole vault queen, the crown is mine!” the animated Isinbayeva hollered after winning with a best vault of 4.89 metres.
Suhr took silver from Cuban Yarilys Silva on countback at 4.82m, and the duo now know the crown will pass to another vaulter at the next worlds in Beijing in 2015 as Isinbayeva confirmed her intention to take a break to have a baby.
“It’s a small women’s break of 18 months, a nine-month pregnancy and nine months caring for the baby,” the former gymnast said.
“I’m not retiring for the moment. I’m just taking a break to have a baby and then I’ll try to come back for Rio, but only on condition that I’m vaulting well. If something goes wrong, then I’ll officially retire.” — AFP.
Online Reporter