by Larry Eder
Yelena Isinbayeva, World Indoor Champs, Doha, Qatar, 2010, photo by PhotoRun.net.
There was a little, to quote the U.S. baseball deity, Yogi Berra, “Deja vu all over again” for Yelena Isinbayeva, as she missed twice at 4.55m…..was this to be Berlin once again?
Women’s pole vault qualifying
Yelena Isinbayeva, World Indoor Champs 2010, Doha, Qatar, Photo by PhotoRun.net.
The standard was 4.60m or at least 8 best qualified. So, the height gets to 4.45m, and there are twelve vaulters still in. Six vaulters had cleared 4.45m (Nikoleta Kriakopoulou, Greece, Fabiana Murer, Brazil, Svetlana Feofanova, Russia, Anna Rogowska, Poland, Kelsie Hendry, Canada, Jirina Ptacnikova, Czech Republic), and six had cleared 4.35m (Kristina Gadschiew, Germany, Kate Dennison, Great Britain, Elena Scarpellini, Italy, Afroditi Skafida, Greece, Chelsea Johnson, U.S.A., Mariana Zachariadi, Cyprus.
Here was the deal: only one jumper had not entered the competition as of yet. If she cleared 4.55m, then the field will drop to eight. If she clears no height, then there are twelve jumpers going to the final.
The jumper was Yelena Isinbayeva. Twenty-four world records. She had set a world record last summer, after her no height in Berlin. She seemed very close to doing the same, when she went over to her coach, obviously stressed to be in this situation once again.
By the time it was announed, the several thousand fans, and interested vaulters walked on. Isinbayeva, took off, and propelled herself over the vault standard, clearing 4.55 m and cutting the field for the final down to 8.
Lacy Janson of the U.S. had no mark. Chelsea Johnson cleared 4.35m, but missed moving into the final.
Isinbayeva showed that she too, is one jump away from not making a final. That is scary for fan and participant alike!
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