DAEGU: Yelena Isinbayeva has transformed the sport of women’s pole vault, but her latest underwhelming performance has seen her lose the aura she once enjoyed as out-and-out queen of the event.
The Russian, whose world record stands at 5.06m, could only manage sixth place at the world championships on Tuesday, her audacious gamesmanship backfiring when she failed to clear 4.75 and then 4.80m after coming in late.
The result adds to Isinbayeva’s poor recent record in global champs: she finished fourth at the 2010 world indoors and crashed out of the last worlds in Berlin in 2009 without registering a height.
“These moments happen in life,” acknowledged the 29-year-old Isinbayeva, who completely dominated the sport’s medal table from 2005 through to her Berlin apocalypse.
