Basking in the glow of her 28th world record, Yelena Isinbayeva is like a women reborn. She told EME news that 5.10m is possible, and her goal to put the women’s pole vault to a record place that it is not revisited for a very long time. Yelena Isinbayeva wants her Beamonesque moment.

Yelena Isinbayeva, 2009 Zurich DL, photo by PhotoRun.net

Isinbayeva has the talent, but it has to come down to drive. Seeking her third Olympic gold medal and obviously a great performance at the World Indoors, Yelena Isinbayeva now has competition from several places around the globe: Great Britain, USA, Brazil, Germany, and Poland, to name a few.

Jenn Suhr, 2012 NB Indoor GP, photo by PhotoRun.net

Yelena Isinbayeva is intensely competitive. She is also a performer of the highest level and draws fans to major meetings. Jenn Suhr, the US record holder, has the potential to fly, as does Holly Beasdale of Great Britain and Fabiana Murer, to name a few. Anyone who forgets Silke Spiegelburg does so at their own peril.

It will be interesting to see how Isinbayeva performs in Istanbul. She has another great indoor jump in her.

Then, as she told EME News, no competitions outdoors until June.

YELENA
THINKS ABOUT 510

STOCKHOLM
(SWE): The queen is back. „I know I can jump higher,” said Isinbayeva
after her first world record since August 2009 in Zurich. „Right now my
ambition is to jump as high as possible. I would like to reach number of
records but also but would also like to jump so high the record will stand for
a 100 years.” Isinbaeva aims for third olympic gold and foresees: „Yes, I think
5.10m and even more is possible.” Now to Istanbul and afterwards she looks into
the following months: „Once the outdoors start I will think about London.
I don’t think it will be until early July before I have my first
competition. In May and June I will not compete,” she was quoted as saying
for agencies.

TIRU
FOR CARLSBAD

CARSLBAD
(USA): First road race of olympic winner Tirunesh Dibaba is revealed. She will
run the Carlsbad 5000 on April 1 as part of her preparation for this summer’s
Olympic Games in London. “This is a very important year for me as I prepare
to defend my Olympic five and ten thousand meter titles,” said Dibaba, who has
also won four world track titles and five world cross country championships.
“I’m very excited to be returning to Carlsbad this year as I build up to
London 2012, I have great memories from racing there. It was one of my
first races outside of Ethiopia back in 2002.” Dibaba, who has three Carlsbad
victories under her belt (2002, 2003 and 2005), ran 14:51 at “the world’s
fastest 5K” in 2005 to tie the then world-record held by Paula Radcliffe.
Organizers are informing.

WITHOUT
TOP RUNNERS

LONDON
(GBR): UK Athletics head coach Charles Van Commenee said this year’s European
Championships would be used as „a preparation for London”, adding that the
leading British field event athletes would be selected, but that the policy for
track runners would be different. „All track athletes who qualify for the Games
after finishing in the top two in the Olympic trials will not be selected for
Helsinki. The Championships come less than a week after the trials, and so
we will select track athletes who didn’t make the top two or who are still
seeking qualifying times. Mostly those events will feature our number 3, 4 and
5 athletes. I don’t think there will be many athletes in Europe who will
rate the European Championships over the Olympics.” Van Commenee added that the
exception to this rule would be the sprint relay teams, and possibly also the
4x400m relay teams. Insidethegames informs.

OTHER NEWS

LAGOS
(NGR): With barely 200 days to the 2012 Olympics in London, the National Sports
Commission (NSC) contracted Los Angeles 400 m Olympic bronze medallist,
Innocent Egbunike as head coach of Team Nigeria’s track and field squad to the
summer games.

PORT OF
SPAIN (TRI): Olympic Games sprint relay silver medallist Marc Burns is among
seven athletes selected to wear Trinidad and Tobago colours at the World Indoor
Championships in Istanbul. Trinidad media are informing. Burns is entered for
60 m, in the 400 m three names were entered but only two will be able to
compete (improved Lalonde Gordon, world medalist Renny Quow and Jarrin
Solomon). All three added with Jereem Richards will form the 4×400 m team.
Jamaal James should run the 800 m. Last and only female is the hurdler Aleesha
Barber.

ROMA
(ITA): 12,850 runners are scheduled to take part in the 38th edition of Rome-Ostia
Half Marathon on Sunday. Also part of the event is Italian HM Championships.
Kenyan marathon top runners Florence Kiplagat and Agnes Kiprop are the main
favorites. Ethiopian challenge will be headed by Tirfi Beyene. Anna Incerti and
Valeria Straneo will fight for the Italian title. Ethiopian Tujuba Megersa, who
won last year’s edition will compete against Kenyans John Kiprotich and Vincent
Kipruto.

LONDON
(GBR): London 2012 have announced that the strapline for the Olympic Games
Closing Ceremonies will be „A Symphony of British Music” with an entirely
British cast of high profile performers and music set to feature. The
announcement was made by world renowned UK live events, theatre and TV
choreographer Kim Gavin, the artistic director for the Olympic and Paralympic
Closing Ceremonies. Rumoured to be amongst the cast of performers is
multi-award winning artist Adele, but Gavin and his team refused to be drawn on
specific performers. It was also revealed that London 2012 has awarded the
contract to record the core orchestral soundtrack for the Olympic and
Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies to the London Symphony Orchestra.
Writes insidethegames.

BOSTON
(USA): RRW informs that the organizers of the Boston Marathon, scheduled for
Monday, April 16, announced a partnership with The Boston Beer Company,
brewers of Samuel Adams beers. The company will be the official beer sponsor of
the 2012 Boston Marathon, creating a special commemorative brew for the
event.

ALBUQUERQUE
(USA): World 1500 m champion Jenny Simpson confirmed that she will double at
this weekend’s USA Indoor Championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Simpson, 25, is the defending champion in both the 1500m (the distance was
actually one mile last year) and the 3000m. „I have the intention of doubling
in both the 3000m and 1500m this weekend,” Simpson wrote in an e-mail message
to Race Results Weekly. „I think it’s a good opportunity to practice both
the physical and mental demands of racing back-to-back days, simulating rounds
I hope to face at outdoor USA’s.” About Istanbul she said: „While I think
racing at the World Indoor Championships would be a thrill, I have
decided with my coach (Juli Benson) that I do not intend to participate if
I do indeed earn a spot on the USA team.”

MOSCOW
(RUS): Russian fresh high jump champion and Doha title defender Ivan Ukhov
dismissed informations that he does not want to compete in Istanbul. „Some
publications were saying that I would not go to the World Championships
but if I’m selected then, of course, I’ll go.” Ukhov cleared so far this season
234 cm and better in the lists is Qatari Mutaz Barshim 237 and Andrey Silnov
236. Aleksey Dmitrik who has 235 will most probably not be selected and the
same 234 on the record of Briton Robbie Grabarz.

STOCKHOLM
(SWE): After Stockholm UK statisticians are wondering about the shape of Joe
Thomas. He clocked personal bests in six out of six meetings this winter
(3:47.55 1500m, 1:47.82, 1:47.35, 1:147.26, 1:46.35, 1:46.33).