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Women’s Pole Vault – Final

What it may have lacked in terms of pure quality it more than made up for in drama as Yelena Isinbayeva relinquished her four-year reign as World champion by disappointingly no-heighting as Anna Rogowska seized her chance to take gold for Poland with a best effort of 4.75m.

Behind, the silver medal was shared by Rogowska’s countrywoman Monika Pyrek and suprise podium placer Chelsea Johnson of the USA. Both securing their piece of precious metal with first time clearances at 4.65m.

But first Isinbayeva. She was bidding to become only the third woman in history to land three successive World titles – shot putter Astrid Kumbernuss and heptathlete Carolina Kluft were the others – and she was an undoubted favourite.

However, she has lacked her usual fizz and sparkle during a lacklustre season where her best was 4.85m – some 0.20 short of her World record – and in her last pre-World Championships competition she suffered defeat at the hands of Rogowska in London. The word was out that the 2008 IAAF Female Athlete of the Year was vulnerable.

On a beautiful, balmy Berlin night the first casualty was Russia’s European Indoor Champion Yuliya Golubchikova, who had the misfortune of taking a heavy fall during warm-up and did not take her place in the final.

Four women exited the competition at 4.55m as German duo Anna Battke and Kristina Gadschiew waved auf wiedersehen to the crowd and the Russian pair Aleksandra Kiryashova and Tatyana Polnova were also forced to pack their poles away.

At 4.65m Pyrek, the 2005 World silver medallist, and Johnson managed first time clearances, which we didn’t know at the time but was ultimately good enough for silver medals. Home favourite Silke Spiegelburg attained the standard at the second time of asking as did Rogowska. However, British record holder Kate Dennison and an out-of-sorts World No.2 Fabiana Murer of Brazil failed to clear at this height.

Ten centimetres higher and Rogowska wriggled over at 4.75m at the first time of asking. It was a signifcant clearance, but with Isinbayeva still to enter few would have predicted it would prove the gold medal winning vault.

Exactly 90 minutes into the competition the defending champion finally made her entrance. However, her first attempt at 4.75 was a huge anti-climax as she mistimed her effort and bailed out of a full vault. She shook her head and gave a rueful smile. She decided to pass and move up to 4.80m.

A visibly upset Spiegelburg failed to deliver Germany’s dream of a pole vault medal as she could not negotiate 4.75m and Johnson, too, found that height, which would have been a personal best by 0.02, too much.
Pyrek gambled after two failures at 4.75m and moved on up to 4.80m.

With the whole complexion of the competition so finely balanced Isinbayeva made her second appearance of the night. However, if she was going to win gold it would be the hard way as she came down on top of the bar. She clutched her hands to her face in anguish while lying horizontal on the pole vault bed. The double Olympic champion was now drinking from the last chance saloon.

Next up Rogowska at 4.80, and although Isinbayeva could not bear to watch – as she sat with her tracksuit top shrouded over her head – the Polish 2004 Olympic bronze medallist could not clear.

To Isinbayeva’s nailbiting final attempt. To be fair, her concentration may have been rattled by the conclusion of the women’s 3000m steeplechase final. However, she once again hopelessly mistimed the vault, landed on top of the bar and her dream of a hat-trick of title lay in tatters.

Rogowska skipped with joy and sprinted to the crowd to take a Polish flag. The fact that is was the lowest mark to win a global title for six years mattered to the gold medallist not one jot.

 

source: worldathletics.org / news/report/event-report-womens-pole-vault-final-3?urlSlug=event-report-womens-pole-vault-final-3&type=report