Yelena Isinbayeva flies 4.82 in Berlin (© Getty Images)
When the IAAF Golden League series kicked off at Oslo’s MobilBislett Games in early June, among the prohibitive favourites to go the distance in the six-meeting series were Russian Pole Vault star Yelena Isinbayeva and American 400m record holder Sanya Richards. And in the end the two delivered by adding yet another stellar season to their young but already stellar careers.
Isinbayeva opened with a 4.85 clearance to win in Oslo in her outdoor debut, a clearance just shy of the world lead goal she had set. “It’s a good beginning,” she said in the Norwegian capital.
Meanwhile, Richards, just coming back from illness that had postponed the beginning of her season, won in 50.26, a modest performance by her standards, but still nearly a full second ahead of her opposition. That margin-of-victory theme would often repeat itself as the Golden League campaign progressed.
“The beginning is always tough,” she said. “One down, still five to go.”
When the series resumed three weeks later in Paris, those remaining five competition would take on an even more important meaning to the 22-year-old American. At the U.S. Championships, she would finish a disappointing fourth, thus missing a spot in the 400 for the World Championships. Disappointed, the pursuit of the Jackpot became priority No. 1, and she continued down the golden road with a 49.52 victory in Paris, then a world-leader.
At the Stade de France, Isinbayeva also continued her domination of the event, clearing 4.91m, then, and still today, the highest clearance of the season. She followed up with a 4.90 leap, heading into the series break as a clear favourite. Meanwhile, Richards won in Rome in 49.77, just shy of her own world leader, but still a half second ahead of the rest of the pack.
When the series resumed in Zurich nine days ago, Isinbayeva arrived directly from Osaka with her second World gold medal in hand, and Richards with her second 4x400m Relay gold. Perhaps with more to prove - and facing freshly-minted World champion Christine Uhuruogu - Richards stamped her authority on the event with a 49.36 performance, another world lead and victory by more than a second-and-a-half. Uhuruogu was nearly two full seconds back.
“I don’t like the word revenge but, for me, it is a little bit of gratification, just to prove to the world that I am the best at 400m.”
But as Richards dominated, Isinbayeva, still just 25, displayed the season’s only major sign of vulnerability, albeit a minor one. Needing all her attempts before success and victory at 4.80, the Russian admitted that good fortune was on her side.
“Something technically bad happened,” she said. I don’t know exactly what it was. I’m lucky to have got over.”
In Brussels though, a more refreshed Isinbayeva appeared, winning the competition with 4.80, just her second jump of the competition, she went on to make a pair of solid attempts at a would-be World record 5.02. “Zurich was a bad competition and I almost lost,” she said. In Brussels, “I had fun and I was confident. Now I feel great.”
For Richards too, Brussels was an overwhelming success, where she lowered her season-pacing performance to 49.29. But her experience at the U.S. championships was in the back of her mind. “With my illness this year, recovery has been my biggest problem. “This will be my biggest test after coming back after just one day.”
But at Berlin’s historic Olympic Stadium, it was a test she passed remarkably well, just as she did a year ago after finishing 2006 unbeaten in Golden League competition. Yet again, she improved her season’s best to 49.27 to share an even larger piece of the Golden League pie.
As is the case more often than not, Isinbayeva won handily, in Berlin taking just three jumps before sealing the win with a 4.82 clearance. After three more tries, her 5.01 World record survived until another day. But perhaps that will come sooner rather than later.
“In Stuttgart I want to jump the World record,” she said. “Victory only is not enough for me any more.”
After her victory in the Belgian capital on Friday, Richards admitted, “Winning the Jackpot would make 2007 not as bad as it might have been.” And after her victory in Berlin, added that her highs and lows made her into a better athlete. “Nobody knows how hard this year has been for me. I feel much stronger now than I did two months ago.”
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
