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Great Sportswomen – Yelena Isinbaeva

Yelena Isinbaeva made history on 22 July 2005 by being the first woman to clear the iconic 5.00 metre (16.4 feet) barrier in pole vault.

At 27 years of age, Isinbaeva boasts an impressive record as a nine-time major champion, including titles from the Olympics, World outdoor and indoor events, as well as European outdoor and indoor championships.

Her current world records include an outdoor height of 5.06 m, achieved in Zurich on August 28, 2009, and an indoor mark of 5.00 m set during the Donetsk indoor meeting on February 15, 2009. Notably, the former record was her twenty-seventh.

In August 2009, she established another World Record in Zurich and achieved a 5.01 m mark indoors in February 2012.

Recognized as Female Athlete of the Year by the IAAF in 2004, 2005, and 2008, Isinbaeva also received the World Sportswoman of the Year award from Laureus in 2007 and 2009. In 2009, she was honored with the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports.

Isinbayeva has become a prominent champion, earning major titles on nine occasions (Olympic, World outdoor and indoor champion as well as European outdoor and indoor champion). Furthermore, she won the jackpot in the IAAF Golden League series in both 2007 and 2009. Following disappointing results at the World Championships in 2009 and 2010, she took a hiatus from the sport for a year.

Her father, Gadzhi Gadzhiyevich Isinbayev, works as a plumber and belongs to a small ethnic group of Tabasaran, numbering around 130,000, primarily residing in Dagestan. Her mother is Russian and works as a shop assistant. Isinbayeva has a sister named Inna. Having humble beginnings, she recalls her parents making numerous financial sacrifices to support her early career.

She holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture and is currently pursuing postgraduate studies there as well as attending Donetsk National Technical University.

In Russian club competitions, she represents the railroad military team, and is formally recognized as an officer in the Russian army. On August 4, 2005, she was promoted to the military rank of senior lieutenant and subsequently elevated to captain in August 2008.

She has appeared in Toshiba advertisements, endorsing their complete product line in Russia, as well as in a Lady’s Speed Stick commercial.

On December 2, 2010, she delivered a speech to FIFA delegates in Zürich. It was during this event that the announcement was made regarding Russia’s hosting of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Yelena Isinbayeva is currently a member of the ‘Champions for Peace’ club, an assembly of 54 distinguished athletes dedicated to promoting peace worldwide through sport, formed by Peace and Sport, an international organization based in Monaco.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF YELENA ISINBAEVA THUS FAR

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Year Competition Venue Position Notes
1998 World Youth Games Moscow, Russia 1st
1999 World Youth Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 1st 4.10 m (WYR)
2000 World Junior Championships Santiago, Chile 1st 4.20 m (WJR)
2001 European Junior Championships Grosseto, Italy 1st 4.40 m (CR)
2002 European Championships Munich, Germany 2nd 4.55 m
2003 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 2nd 4.60 m
World Championships Paris, France 3rd 4.65 m
European U23 Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 1st 4.65 m (CR)
2004 World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 1st 4.86 m (WR)
Summer Olympics Athens, Greece 1st 4.91 m (WR)
IAAF World Athletics Final Monte Carlo, Monaco 1st
2005 European Indoor Championships Madrid, Spain 1st 4.90 m (i WR)
World Championships Helsinki, Finland 1st 5.01 m (WR)
IAAF World Athletics Final Monte Carlo, Monaco 1st
2006 World Indoor Championships Moscow, Russia 1st 4.80 m
European Championships Göteborg, Sweden 1st 4.80 m (CR)
IAAF World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 1st 4.75 m
World Cup Athens, Greece 1st 4.60 m (CR)
2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 1st 4.80 m
IAAF Golden League 6/6 Wins 1st Jackpot Winner
IAAF World Athletics Final Stuttgart, Germany 1st 4.87 m (CR)
2008 World Indoor Championships Valencia, Spain 1st 4.75 m
Summer Olympics Beijing, People’s Republic of China 1st 5.05 m (WR)
2009 World Championships Berlin, Germany final NM
IAAF Golden League 6/6 Wins 1st Jackpot winner
World Athletics Final Thessaloniki, Greece 1st 4.80 m
2010 World Indoor Championships Doha, Qatar 4th 4.60 m
2011 World Championships Daegu, South Korea 6th 4.65 m
2012 World Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 1st 4.80 m

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