ID :
21317
Fri, 09/26/2008 - 10:36
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/21317
The shortlink copeid
(LEAD) Isinbayeva wins pole-vault gold despite subpar performance
(ATTN: CHANGES slug; RECASTS lead, headline; UPDATES throughout)
By Sam Kim
DAEGU, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- Russian pole-vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva cruised to victory at an international competition here on Thursday despite failing to clear a subpar height.
The 26-year-old who set a world record of 5.05m to win the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics last month said that "4.60 (meters) is nothing, but I'm happy that I won."
Greeted by an affectionate crowd that filled at least one-third of the
67,000-capacity stadium in this city of Daegu about 300 kilometers southeast of
Seoul, Isinbayeva tried to clear 4.75m in her last three attempts, but failed.
"The season was so long, so hard," Isinbayeva said. "It's very difficult to keep
the same form."
Isinbayeva was one of about 250 competitors from 35 countries who flocked to the
South Korean city that organized the one-day event as a rehearsal for the 2011
world championship in athletics.
Isinbayeva said she felt as if she had become "a queen" to the host city and its
people, expressing gratitude and vowing to improve in order to achieve her
professed goal of notching a record that no other pole vaulter could defeat in a
century.
"Everyone knows who I am, and that was a pleasure," she said, adding she would
like to visit the country once a year if possible. Isinbayeva has broken 24 world
records in her career and is an Olympic icon, with her performances on top of her
looks having helped her gain fans around the globe.
In the 800m race, Beijing gold medalist Wilfred Bungei of Kenya notched a
dramatic 0.02 victory over his compatriot Justua Koech, finishing in a time of
1:47.02.
Three U.S. track athletes swept the women's 100m titles, with Athens silver
medalist Lauryn Williams finishing first with a time of 11.21, while Nasta Carter
of Jamaica won the men's 100m with a time of 10.08.
James Kwalia C'Kurui of Qatar won the men's 5,000m race with a record of
13:32.89, and Kenya's Ruth Bisibori Nyangau took the women's 3,000m title in a
time of 9:35.94.
Shericka Williams of Jamaica won the women's 200m with a time of 22.94, while
Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe finished in 20.28 to take the men's 200m title.
Russia's L.J. Van Zyl came in 48.72 to win the men's 400m hurdles, while Anna
Mischenko of Ukraine won the women's 1,500m race in 4:28.61.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
By Sam Kim
DAEGU, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- Russian pole-vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva cruised to victory at an international competition here on Thursday despite failing to clear a subpar height.
The 26-year-old who set a world record of 5.05m to win the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics last month said that "4.60 (meters) is nothing, but I'm happy that I won."
Greeted by an affectionate crowd that filled at least one-third of the
67,000-capacity stadium in this city of Daegu about 300 kilometers southeast of
Seoul, Isinbayeva tried to clear 4.75m in her last three attempts, but failed.
"The season was so long, so hard," Isinbayeva said. "It's very difficult to keep
the same form."
Isinbayeva was one of about 250 competitors from 35 countries who flocked to the
South Korean city that organized the one-day event as a rehearsal for the 2011
world championship in athletics.
Isinbayeva said she felt as if she had become "a queen" to the host city and its
people, expressing gratitude and vowing to improve in order to achieve her
professed goal of notching a record that no other pole vaulter could defeat in a
century.
"Everyone knows who I am, and that was a pleasure," she said, adding she would
like to visit the country once a year if possible. Isinbayeva has broken 24 world
records in her career and is an Olympic icon, with her performances on top of her
looks having helped her gain fans around the globe.
In the 800m race, Beijing gold medalist Wilfred Bungei of Kenya notched a
dramatic 0.02 victory over his compatriot Justua Koech, finishing in a time of
1:47.02.
Three U.S. track athletes swept the women's 100m titles, with Athens silver
medalist Lauryn Williams finishing first with a time of 11.21, while Nasta Carter
of Jamaica won the men's 100m with a time of 10.08.
James Kwalia C'Kurui of Qatar won the men's 5,000m race with a record of
13:32.89, and Kenya's Ruth Bisibori Nyangau took the women's 3,000m title in a
time of 9:35.94.
Shericka Williams of Jamaica won the women's 200m with a time of 22.94, while
Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe finished in 20.28 to take the men's 200m title.
Russia's L.J. Van Zyl came in 48.72 to win the men's 400m hurdles, while Anna
Mischenko of Ukraine won the women's 1,500m race in 4:28.61.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
