Parnov's influence on show at Commonwealth Games

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http://www.theage.com.au/news/athletics ... 52330.html

Parnov's influence on show at MCG


March 4, 2006

ONE man will have an inordinate influence on Australia's vaulting fortunes on the MCG in a couple of weeks.
That is nothing new, however. Alex Parnov has had an inordinate influence on Australian pole vaulting from the time he arrived in Adelaide almost 10 years ago, accompanied by his two outstanding pupils, Dmitri Markov and Viktor Chistiakov.

The women's vault is almost a Parnov (extended) family affair. He coached Tatiana Grigorieva to her first success. He coaches new Commonwealth record holder Kym Howe. The third member of the trio is his own daughter, 15-year-old Vicky Parnov.

Turning to the men, Parnov coaches Paul Burgess. He coached Markov up until the time he won the 2001 world championships with a massive 6.05 metres clearance.

Steve Hooker, the third male vaulter, is coached by Mark Stewart, the man who discovered Emma George and took her to her first world records before she moved across the continent to be coached by Parnov in Perth.

Grigorieva says Parnov is "a fantastic coach" and his results prove it.

"He has the knowledge, the ability to explain things to the athlete and the knack of finding the right approach for each athlete," Grigorieva said.

Grigorieva achieved her early successes with Parnov and, although they had split up by then, says "part of my Olympic medal belongs to him". What split the group up was Parnov's move from Adelaide to Perth when Athletics Australia decided to set up a high performance centre there.

Chistakov and Grigorieva stayed in South Australia; Markov hesitated, then moved, but has since moved back. George left Stewart and joined the national squad.

With Howe and Burgess both Perth-based and his own daughters (Vicky's younger sister has already started vaulting), Parnov's influence seems likely to extend for a few years yet.

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0, ... 39,00.html

Parnov will strive to keep it in the family
From David Powell

SHE took up the pole vault after watching her aunt win a medal at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. Now, only six years later, and at half Auntie Tati’s age, she is in the Australia team with her.
Victoria Parnov, the 15-year-old niece of Tatiana Grigorieva, sailed through the qualifying round yesterday and the two will contest the final tomorrow.

Having set a world record for a 14-year-old of 4.15 metres last year, Parnov improved this season to 4.30 at Australia’s trials for the Commonwealth Games. While Grigorieva’s Games biography lists her as athlete and model, Parnov is still at school, training 2½ hours a day after classes.

Auntie, 30, is the Russian-born blue-eyed blonde who became as well-known for her photo shoots as her vaulting. She finished runner-up in Sydney and won the Commonwealth title in Manchester two years later. Minus pole, she featured nude in Black and White magazine, scantily clad in Ralph, and appeared on the web in various poses involving cowboy hats and see-through lace. The way that Grigorieva worked the crowd of 112,000 at the Sydney Olympics caught nine-year-old Parnov’s eye. The arena fell silent the moment Grigorieva placed a finger to her lips as she prepared to jump. But, for the past two years, the pole has been a greasy one for Grigorieva, who failed to qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympics and has slipped to No 23 in the world rankings.

Winning the Australian title this season with 4.41, Grigorieva looked the best she had for years. But young Parnov is on the rise and she, too, could make the podium tomorrow. She is growing up fast and not just as a vaulter. The slender figure and the pink ribbon in the blonde ponytail suggest that she may follow Auntie Tati in more ways than one.