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21325
Fri, 09/26/2008 - 10:48
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http://m.oananews.org//node/21325
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(2nd LD) Isinbayeva-athletics competitions
(2nd LD) Isinbayeva wins pole-vault gold despite lackluster performance (ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES throughout; ADDS comments; TRIMS) 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.
"My record, 4.60 (meters), is nothing, but I'm happy that I won," said the
26-year-old who set a world record of 5.05m to win the gold medal at the Beijing
Olympics last month.
Greeted by an affectionate crowd that filled at least one-third of the
67,000-capacity stadium in the industrial 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 told reporters. "It's very
difficult to keep the same form, the same shape."
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 that despite her lower-than-expected performance, her professed
goal of someday notching a record that no other female pole vaulter could defeat
in a century remains firm.
"My goal will be the same. I will try to make a record that is going to be
(intact) for 100 years," she said, adding she would like to express gratitude to
her South Korean fans for treating her like "a queen."
"Everyone knows who I am, and that was a pleasure," said Isinbayeva, who made a
point of blowing kisses to the crowd and waving hands in between her attempts.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Isinbayeva has broken numerous world records --
many of them her own -- in her career and is an athletic icon, with her
performances on top of her looks having helped her gain fans around the globe.
Germany's Carolin Hingst cleared 4.55m to take the silver, while Tatyana Polnova
jumped 4.45m to finish third in the pole vault event.
In the 800m race, Beijing gold medalist Wilfred Bungei of Kenya notched a
dramatic 0.02-second 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.
Jamaica's Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell did not take part in the competition. Choi
Yun-hee set a South Korean record for women's pole-vault, while Lee Jeong-jun
pulled off a similar accomplishment in the men's 110m hurdles. Neither succeeded
in winning a medal.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
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.
"My record, 4.60 (meters), is nothing, but I'm happy that I won," said the
26-year-old who set a world record of 5.05m to win the gold medal at the Beijing
Olympics last month.
Greeted by an affectionate crowd that filled at least one-third of the
67,000-capacity stadium in the industrial 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 told reporters. "It's very
difficult to keep the same form, the same shape."
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 that despite her lower-than-expected performance, her professed
goal of someday notching a record that no other female pole vaulter could defeat
in a century remains firm.
"My goal will be the same. I will try to make a record that is going to be
(intact) for 100 years," she said, adding she would like to express gratitude to
her South Korean fans for treating her like "a queen."
"Everyone knows who I am, and that was a pleasure," said Isinbayeva, who made a
point of blowing kisses to the crowd and waving hands in between her attempts.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Isinbayeva has broken numerous world records --
many of them her own -- in her career and is an athletic icon, with her
performances on top of her looks having helped her gain fans around the globe.
Germany's Carolin Hingst cleared 4.55m to take the silver, while Tatyana Polnova
jumped 4.45m to finish third in the pole vault event.
In the 800m race, Beijing gold medalist Wilfred Bungei of Kenya notched a
dramatic 0.02-second 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.
Jamaica's Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell did not take part in the competition. Choi
Yun-hee set a South Korean record for women's pole-vault, while Lee Jeong-jun
pulled off a similar accomplishment in the men's 110m hurdles. Neither succeeded
in winning a medal.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
