Valencia Women’s Pole Vault Prewiev

    Yelena Isinbayeva seeks a hat-trick of World Indoor Pole Vault titles after enduring an unusually erratic indoor campaign. The Russian great started the season in typically spectacular style bettering her own World indoor record with 4.95m in Donetsk but in her next competition she surrendered her 23-competition unbeaten streak to her fierce rival Svetlana Feofanova in Bydgoszcz after failing to clear 4.81m. Her first indoor defeat for four years was partially blamed on travelling, as she had attended the Laureus World Sports Awards in St Petersburg only 48 hours before competing in Poland but her rivals will be lifted by her defeat.

    Feofanova, the 2003 World Indoor champion, may be the most likely to profit from any vulnerability. However, despite inflicting defeat on Isinbayeva in Poland, she has also shown fragility this season, finishing a disappointing third with a modest best 4.50m in Athens.

    The best of the rest would appear to be US champion Jennifer Stuczynski who has cleared 4.71m while the 2003 World Indoor bronze medallist, Monika Pyrek of Poland, has a successful 4.70m clearance next to her name this indoor season and is another with medal ambitions.

[Napisał/a: Monika Pyrek 21 cze 2008]