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World Sportswoman is here too
In the case of the women’s Pole Vault, it will be the World Sportswoman of the Year rather than the World Athlete of the Year centre stage in Oslo. Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva who was honoured with that Laureus Foundation award this spring is the chief draw. At the age of 25, Isinbayeva already has all the global championship accolades that Powell and Richards could dream about.
The World, Olympic and European champion, and World record holder is on paper still a class apart from the rest of her opponents. The only woman in history to clear 5m, she has been peerless for the best part of three years. However, her World record of 5.01m has now stood since the World Championships in 2005, and with a change of coach in the winter of 2005/2006 we seem to have been left asking the question of when that new set-up will garner even greater heights for what seems a very long time.
Brazil’s Fabina Murer and Poland’s Monika Pyrek who are each are advised by Vitaly Petrov who also trains Isinbayeva, should be the ones to push the Russian tomorrow.
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And here's the second article.
[quote]Bergqvist and Isinbayeva – two champions, two different worlds – IAAF Golden League
Thursday 14 June 2007
Oslo, Norway - This is the contrasting tale of two champions and two athletic events in which the World record could be threatened this season.
In today’s official press conference ahead of Friday night’s ExxonMobil Bislett Games, the current World champion and World indoor record holder of one of the oldest contested female athletics disciplines at the Olympics (since 1928) - the High Jump - met with the reigning World, Olympic and European champion and World indoor and outdoor record holder of one of the youngest contested women’s events in the Olympics (since 2000) - the Pole Vault.
High jumping’s Kajsa Bergqvist of Sweden and pole vaulting’s Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia were two of the guests at the press conference held at the famous Oslo Strawberry Party which takes place on the eve of the IAAF Golden League meeting each year.
Both athletes are great champions and eloquent ambassadors for the sport but while the Swede spoke about the toughness of the competition she faces at every meeting, Isinbayeva was eager to welcome any potential rival who might challenge her at the highest heights.
The High Jump is a very well established discipline and it is Bergqvist’s misfortune or luck, whichever way you want to look at it, to be competing in an era when the event is at an all-time height of competitiveness. By contrast the Russian has a CV in her young event which had its first World Championship outing in 1999, which, at least until her season’s opener on Friday, is peerless.
Isinbayeva is the only woman to have cleared 5m - her World record stands at 5.01 (2005) - and on being asked about the fast emerging talent of USA’s Jennifer Stuczynski who in New York on 4 June increased the American record to 4.88m, the 25-year-old Russian welcomed her arrival on the scene.
“No, I am not surprised by Jenn’s record. I love to have strong rivals,â€Â