The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Monopoly of the ‘Bubka in skirts’

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Tuesday, Jul 22, 2008
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Monopoly of the ‘Bubka in skirts’

M.R. Praveen Chandran

Perhaps no female athlete has dominated an event like her in recent memory. Yelena Isinbayeva has monopolised pole vault event so much that competitors in the Beijing Olympics would be left fighting for crumps.

The 26-year-old Russian nicknamed the ‘Bubka in skirts’ has broken the world record an incredible 22 times in the last five years and is the only female pole vaulter to clear the metric barrier of five metres.

Her latest record (5.03m) came in the Golden Gala Meet in Rome last week which incidentally was her first outdoor record in the last three years.

“I am focussed more and I am angry. This is just the beginning,” she said after breaking her record. A hungry and angry Isinbayeva is not good news for her rivals.

Yelena, whose temperament and consistency in big competitions are legendary, was obviously unhappy with the attention created by American Jennifer Stuczynski’s 4.92m jump recently.

Not so long ago Yelena knew nothing about pole vault and had never heard of Bubka. In her native Volgograd she was trained to be a gymnast but was considered too tall for that sport. Her coach suggested that she take pole vault.

“My first coach Yevgeny Trafimov asked me if I knew who Bubka was. I said no. From the beginning he taught me to jump like Bubka,” she was to say later.

Starting with an initial height of 2.80m in 1997 she quickly improved and cleared 4.00m in the 1998 World junior championship which was her first big international meet. She won the World youth title in 1999 clearing 4.10m and improved steadily to set the world junior record in 2000.

First record

Her first senior World record came in 2003 at Gateshead when she cleared 4.82m and since then has set 21 more World records (12 out doors and 10 indoors). Experts say her fantastic technique, speed and height are the reasons for her dominance in the event where she is unbeaten since the Athens Olympics.

Barring an injury, Yelena, whose goal is to eclipse Sergei Bubka’s mark of 35 world records, is set to add the second Olympic gold medal to her already rich collection of international medals.

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