Isinbayeva swaps poles for nappies

 
AP
14 August 2013

Yelena Isinbayeva has pledged to compete in the pole vault at the next Olympics after revealing she will be taking time out from the sport in order to start a family.

The Russian delighted the home crowd inside the Luzhniki Stadium as she claimed the third world title of her illustrious career.

Isinbayeva, 31, will now hang up her spikes for the second time in her career. Previously the two-time Olympic champion had hinted she might retire from the sport.

But after clearing 4.89m to claim victory last night, she said: “I’m not retiring for the moment. I’m just taking a break to have a baby and then I’ll try to come back for Rio but only if I will be to jump high. I love the pole vault, I love competing and, of course, I want another Olympic gold medal.”

The pressure on Isinbayeva was akin to that on Jessica Ennis-Hill inside the Olympic Stadium in London last summer, a Russian public assuming she would win despite a season curtailed by injury and mixed results. But she pulled out a season’s-best vault in the final to win her 28th world title and edge out Olympic champion Jennifer Suhr, of America, and Cuba’s Yarisley Silva by seven centimetres.

Silva, who had been the most consistent vaulter this season but had to make do with bronze in Moscow, led the praise for Isinbayeva. She said: “From the greatest, you should always expect great things. Never count them out. You have to take a bow to her feats.”

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