WC Women Finals - Another great competition!

[rainbowgirl28]

USATF:


Women’s Pole Vault Final
Olympic silver medalist Jenn Suhr (Churchville, N.Y.) fell just shy of the podium, finishing fourth, ahead of defending Olympic and World champion Elana Isinbaeva of Russia, who was sixth in 4.65m/15-3. Suhr did improve on a 10th-place finish at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships in Osaka, Japan. Suhr cleared 4.70m/15-5 on her second attempt, but was not able to clear the next advance of the bar.


Jenn Shur, women’s pole vault
“I had some timing at jumps, but at other jumps, I didn’t have any timing, so it is unfortunate. But we have to be realistic. We really didn’t think we were going to make it here with some injuries that were happening that weren’t really allowing me to train. It’s definitely worth the experience of coming here and competing for the USA; it’s just disappointing.”

[Branko720]

I wonder what everyone thinks about this. Isi takes almost a year off competes in one meet and then goes back to her old coach and her recent comps have not been that good. I get the feeling she's just not that into vaulting anymore. Any thoughts?

[wurster490]

She only took 4 jumps in the competition. I think she needs to work on finding her rhythm more while competing, because it seems like that is missing. She started at 4.65 which isn't difficult for her I guess, I didn't see the jump. But from there she passed to 4.75 and then 4.80 which is pretty high for a second bar, maybe not for the old Yelena, but for the new one who is less confident it is. I think if she would have started at 4.55 and then 4.70, she would have been in the right rhythm to go 4.85 or higher.

[Branko720]

That doesn't really address my question. I want to know what people think about her passion for the sport. I know we are all speculating, but I would still love to know what others think. Her break and performances of late sound like an athlete that just isn't into it. I mean it's not like she had an injury.

[rainbowgirl28]

I don't think she's that into it anymore. If she wants to dominate she's gonna have to dig deeper and get some fire in her belly, because I can't see her jumping higher than about 4.90 right now if she puts everything together... and I don't see her putting everything together.

I hope she shows up in Zurich, that could be interesting.

[Cooleo111]

I don't think she's that into it anymore. If she wants to dominate she's gonna have to dig deeper and get some fire in her belly, because I can't see her jumping higher than about 4.90 right now if she puts everything together... and I don't see her putting everything together.

I agree. She has taken nearly every luxury that a star athlete is afforded: modeling, designing, changing sponsors, changing coaches, even a leave of absence! It seems to me that her interest swayed more into being a celebrity rather than being the best in the world. Her window for a dominant comeback is small, and I have my doubts that she is capable of accomplishing the same kind of results.

[atlegu]

I don't think she's that into it anymore.

I totally disagree. I have seen several interviews with here the last year (and also after the competition yesterday), and I'm sure that she will be back better than ever. Her jump on 4.75 was on a to soft pole, and the last on 4.80 on a to stiff. Her jump on 4.65 was high above.

If such statements comes based on her jump yesterday, what should we say about the american vaulters in Daegu then?

[golfdane]

I don't think she's that into it anymore.

I totally disagree. I have seen several interviews with here the last year (and also after the competition yesterday), and I'm sure that she will be back better than ever. Her jump on 4.75 was on a to soft pole, and the last on 4.80 on a to stiff. Her jump on 4.65 was high above.

If such statements comes based on her jump yesterday, what should we say about the american vaulters in Daegu then?

Nods in agreement. No doubt, that she has the will and the abilities to jump high. However, the nature of the pressure and the expectations have changed, due to the many alterations that has happened. Rather than everyone wondering how high she'll jump, everyone is now wondering if she'll make the bar at all (and if she was in any way aware of the "cover curse", that might have influenced her as well).
I think, that everyone saw, that the pole on 4,65m was too soft (brushed it on the way up, and peaked way behind the bar), and it appears she didn't change it for 4,75m or even her first attempt at 4,80m (I could be wrong here, but it's the light blue spirit with the same markings until her final attempt at 4,80m).

Vaulters that are unsecure about something, tends to have trouble moving to stiffer poles, and often want to stay on the softer pole too long, but it doesn't mean they've lost the will.

[RoosterPV25]

I don't think she's that into it anymore.

I totally disagree. I have seen several interviews with here the last year (and also after the competition yesterday), and I'm sure that she will be back better than ever. Her jump on 4.75 was on a to soft pole, and the last on 4.80 on a to stiff. Her jump on 4.65 was high above.

If such statements comes based on her jump yesterday, what should we say about the american vaulters in Daegu then?

I don't think you can compare the American vaulters to Isi in this situation. We have read this past week on this message board how Jenn had been sick and battling injury and not even sure she was even go to Daegu and she still placed higher than Isi. As far as the other girls for the US, I think they are still young when it comes to international competition like Worlds. I think this was Kylie's first World's team and this was only Lacy's second compared to Isi's five. I am not saying they aren't ready to be there but I think maybe if they had as many appearances as Isi, I'm sure they would have fared better than they did.

[altius]

Not sure if anyone has noted that Murer is coached by Vitaly Petrov.

[rainbowgirl28]

Not sure if anyone has noted that Murer is coached by Vitaly Petrov.

Elson is her primary coach, but they frequently train with Petrov.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 806108.cms


Queen Isinbayeva wobbles off pole vault perch
AFP | Aug 31, 2011, 09.42AM IST

DAEGU: Yelena Isinbayeva has transformed the sport of women's pole vault, but her latest underwhelming performance has seen her lose the aura she once enjoyed as out-and-out queen of the event.

The Russian, whose world record stands at 5.06m, could only manage sixth place at the world championships on Tuesday, her audacious gamesmanship backfiring when she failed to clear 4.75 and then 4.80m after coming in late.

The result adds to Isinbayeva's poor recent record in global champs: she finished fourth at the 2010 world indoors and crashed out of the last worlds in Berlin in 2009 without registering a height.

"These moments happen in life," acknowledged the 29-year-old Isinbayeva, who completely dominated the sport's medal table from 2005 through to her Berlin apocalypse.

Even after that debacle two years ago, the lissom Russian shook off any bad memories and set a new world record just a week later at a Diamond League meeting in Zurich.

"This was a difficult day for me," Isinbayeva said of her Daegu outing. "The poles I used were very soft.

"If I was not in good shape, I would not be here today. My physical shape was very good. Everything was ready for a victory but I do not know what went wrong. I am very sad. This is not the result I wanted.

"I'm disappointed but I'm now focusing on next year's Olympic Games," added the two-time Olympic and double world champion, named Female Athlete of the Year by the IAAF in 2004, 2005 and 2008.

"I'm trying to forget everything that happened here today and I'll go to London with everything in my memory deleted.

"There's still more to come," she warned.

Eventual gold medallist Fabiana Murer of Brazil, who won with a best of 4.85m, had words of comfort for the Russian, with whom she often trains in Italy.

"It is difficult for her," the 30-year-old Murer said. "She hasn't had a good year because she changed her coach and changed the technique and everything is difficult when you first change.

"You need some time to adjust. I believe in her and I think she can continue jumping next year."

Murer, whose coach Elson De Souza has spent time with Sergey Bubka's legendary coach Vitaliy Petrov, the one-time handler of Isinbayeva, added that she had learnt a lot from her Russian rival.

"When I met her for the first time I thought she was a person who doesn't have feelings, that she is brave, she can jump anytime, she is strong but then when I started to speak with her I learned she is a normal person," she said.

"Then I thought, if she jumps and she is a normal person then it's possible if I continue to train I can improve.

"I tried to do my best and of course she was stronger and she was faster. I tried to get closer to her but I know my limits. I am not so strong and not so fast. So I tried to improve my technique because of this."

Isinbayeva is the only women's vaulter to have cleared the 5.00m barrier and the Brazilian said she would like to be the next.

"Five metres is my dream," she said. "I want to jump 5m but of course it is not easy. It is very hard. It is high, 5m.

"I think it's possible. I did a good attempt at 4.90m. I think it's real now and maybe five metres next year."