Isinbayeva and emptiness

Two-time Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva: "I'm leaving, but maybe I'll be back..."

On August 10, the XIV World Championships in Athletics will start at Luzhniki. 9 days of competition, 2 thousand athletes from 200 countries, 5 billion viewers. More than 80 percent of the tickets have been sold, and there are no tickets left for the last, brightest days of the competition. Among the partners of the Moscow Championship is VTB Bank, the official partner of the International Association of Athletics Federations.

There are only a few days left before the Moscow championship, but Yelena Isinbayeva is already, of course, one of its main heroines. On the eve of the World Cup, Yelena Isinbayeva tried the Luzhnikov bowl at the national championship. And she made a sensational statement. The correspondent became an eyewitness of the historical event:

Appearance at Luzhniki

Hundreds of hands went up in Luzhniki, each holding a camera. Yelena Isinbayeva, who had not competed in the Russian championships for ten years, after a height of 4.60, remained in the sector all alone. And I started raising the bar higher and higher. Will he go for a world record? Frankly, even my knees trembled at that moment. From a premonition of something incredible that could happen just about. The air was electrified to the limit.

... The fact that Elena Isinbayeva, a two-time Olympic champion, a 28-time (!) World record holder, could appear at the Russian Championship, where she had not been seen since the beginning of the millennium, was announced in June in one of his interviews Main coach national team Valentin Maslakov. It was hard to believe in the "fresh tradition". Isinbayeva, whose image - by the way, her only one of our entire team was chosen for outdoor advertising of the Moscow World Cup - now comes across on the streets at every turn along with Usain Bolt, David Rudisha, Johan Blake (although the latter two have already managed to refuse the World Cup) would have taken to the national team without selection. However, a few days before the start of the Russian Championship, an interview with personal trainer Elena appeared in the press, who confirmed: “Let's go! Already bought tickets!

And indeed, Yelena Isinbayeva herself appears in Luzhniki. The huge 80,000th bowl is practically empty. Almost all the few spectators who gathered on a weekday for qualifications were sitting with accreditations. “I hope there will be more people at the World Championships,” Isinbayeva chuckled.

"On the tenth attempt, I jump above five meters."

Remembering the last time she jumped in front of empty stands is very difficult. But Lena approached this unusual situation soberly and called a support group with her. Among this group was ... the football player of the Kazan "Rubin" Alexander Prudnikov. “My friends and I are already slowly “rehearsing” the World Cup,” Isinbayeva laughed. - Here Sasha is rooting for me, and I am glad that he now plays in the main team of Rubin, and in general began to root for Rubin. In the last match, “we” beat Zenit!”

In qualifying, everything was very interesting. Isinbayeva suddenly stumbled at a height of ... 4.10!

- Lena, maybe the pole interfered with you? This is how you should jump without a pole!

You guessed right about the pole! Isinbayeva responded briskly. - I did not think that I would also have a qualification, I tuned in right away for the final and did not take soft poles with me for a short run. I had to go and ask my ... actually rivals if someone would lend me their pole. Borrowed by Sveta Feofanova. I am very grateful for this.

The battle of the poles is over

- Who, excuse me? Feofanov?

(When the head coach of the national team Valentin Maslakov found out about this, he came into a state of mild shock. The relationship between Elena Isinbayeva and Svetlana Feofanova has always been akin to the relationship between Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams. “Come on, tell us about your boyfriend!” sounded because ... they simply didn’t say hello and didn’t talk for half their lives. “The fact that it was Feofanova who gave Lena her pole is an event, of course, a historical one,” Maslakov muttered in shock).

Why not? Over the years, many things are perceived differently.

- Lena, once the coach specifically forbade you to talk to her.

- The coach never forbade. We stopped talking at some point. We were young, hot, uncompromising, we had a war in the sector, we fought to the death, what is there to talk about ... It was completely superfluous.

- How did you ask Svetlana for a pole?

Usually. Came up and asked. But we didn’t really reconcile now, maybe just Valentin Mikhailovich (Maslakov. - Note. ed.) didn't know about it. Our "historic", as he put it, reconciliation took place at the World Championships in Daegu. I performed very poorly there, and Sveta was able to take the bronze. And I broke our long-term boycott and congratulated her with all my heart. She said: “What a good fellow you are! You are a real fighter!" You see, I am already 31 years old, Sveta is 33 ... Well, what should we share now ?!

And now you can just as sincerely answer me: why did you need the Russian Championship? Sentimental feelings? You are again at Luzhniki, where once, in 1998, during the World Youth Games, this name first sounded: “Elena Isinbayeva” ... Since then, you have never returned here, to this sector.

No, first of all, I wanted to try the sector itself before the World Cup, get used to the scale of the Luzhniki Stadium - they are so huge that you can easily get confused and lost here. Well, what can I say ... Everything is fine. There is no wind, it is excluded by the design of the stadium itself, in a word, the conditions are ideal, which means that the fight for gold will go at the level of five meters.

Are you ready for this height? Valentin Maslakov claims that he is constantly in touch with you and Trofimov and that you regularly fly above five meters in training.

“I can't stop crying. It will be hard for me. Highly".

Well, how would you explain it more precisely ... This is true, but there are nuances. I have a much longer runway in Volgograd than in Luzhniki, and there are as many attempts in training as I wish. And now, for example, on the tenth attempt, I jump above five meters.

minor annoyances

- Lena, will you prepare for the World Championships in Volgograd?

I feel good at home. Habitual, comfortable, calm. There is very little time left, and I see no reason to change anything. Although I had quite a few difficulties this summer. There is a terrible amount of midges in Volgograd, I don’t know what our authorities are thinking about, why they are not doing anything, but the midges flew in an impenetrable cloud, they had to run under the roof all the time, but that’s not the point.

... In fact, after the qualification, Elena Isinbayeva said one thing, for some reason no one paid attention to the modest charm of which. But it was worth it. "At the Russian Championships, I want to update my personal achievement." But Isinbayeva's personal achievement equals nothing less than a world record!

Her casual tone was misleading, and like a giraffe, it didn't dawn on me until the next day. World record?! At the Russian Championship?! And it's not a joke?!

There were only a few hours left before the final. I rushed to look for Valentin Maslakov. “Isinbayeva can set a world record,” Maslakov said without a shadow of a smile. - Lena is in great shape, why not ?! In addition, she is not the kind of person who will promise something for the sake of a red word. If she said so, then she will try!”

And she tried! Left completely alone in the sector, under a growing ovation, already in the rank of Russian champion Isinbayeva, taking 4.75 on the third attempt, orders to raise the bar to 4.85 ...

The road seems so short...

- Lena, were you really ready to take a swing at the world record?!

I got a little misunderstood. I noticed that I would like to update my best achievement in THIS season, after the London Olympics, as you know, I competed only twice: in Shanghai, at the Diamond League stage, and in Ostrava, in the Czech Republic, at the Golden spike." In Shanghai, I jumped 4.70, but my leg was very sore ...

I read in an interview with Trofimov that in May you were treated for a long time in a Munich clinic. May I know for what reason?

- I had problems with my jogging leg. The capsule containing Achilles was worn out, there was no liquid left in it at all, the pain was monstrous, unbearable. In Shanghai, I jumped on one leg, the improvement after the treatment is noticeable, but my leg still hurts a little. I would like to believe that by the World Cup the pain will go away completely.

So I just wanted to jump higher in Moscow than in Ostrava, where I had 4.78. If I could get past 4.85, I would raise the bar to 4.95 and then to 5.07. So theoretically the record was possible, but ... the legs did not run. Women's Days. If I were a man, everything would be just wonderful!

- You decided to leave after the World Cup. Somehow I can't believe it...

I don't believe it myself. But it's easy to lie on the couch and think: "I'll lie down like this for a year, rest and start preparing for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro." But in fact, it may turn out that you simply can’t anymore ...

- And if it turns out that you can?

I'll be back!

Are there words in the world that can describe what you feel when talking about leaving ... Now, when "the road seems so short, which seemed to be the longest...".

I won't be able to keep from crying. It will be hard for me. Highly…

For reference

Elena Insinbayeva was born in Volgograd. Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Two-time Olympic champion (2004, 2008), bronze medalist Olympic Games 2012, holder of 28 women's pole vault world records.

On July 22, 2005, at competitions in London, for the first time in the history of women's pole vaulting, she took a height of 5 meters.

Two-time Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva has officially announced her retirement from sports. She did this at a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, which she already held as a member of the commission of athletes of the International Olympic Committee, where she was elected for the next eight years on Thursday.

The statement made by Yelena Isinbayeva in Rio de Janeiro is not a sensation. The fact that the famous 34-year-old athlete is saying goodbye to the pole vault sector became clear immediately after all the i's were dotted on the issue of her non-participation in the Olympic Games. In addition, even before the start of the press conference, Isinbayeva posted a farewell video on her official page on the VKontakte social network. It captures how she makes a jump, overcoming the bar in an empty hall in Volgograd before flying to Rio de Janeiro. The video is accompanied by a comment: “This jump ends my career as an athlete - and opens a new stage in my life. I do not give up. I'm moving on."

At a press conference, Yelena Isinbayeva once again confirmed her decision.

“Today in Rio, August 19, 2016, I complete my sports career. I thought that I would be sad to take such a step, but getting into the IOC Athletes' Commission inspired me. I say goodbye to the track, sector, poles, the anthem in my honor. I'm glad that I managed to realize myself. I won all possible titles - this is the ultimate dream. Now you can consider me a retired athlete,” she said.

Ms. Isinbayeva commented separately on the election to the IOC Athletes' Commission. According to her, this is a huge victory and a huge honor. “I will protect the rights of honest athletes around the world so that this situation does not repeat itself,” she stressed, referring to the exclusion of Russian athletes from participating in the Rio Games.

“We were put in a losing position beforehand,” Yelena Isinbayeva said. “Over the past six months, I have had five urine tests and two blood tests, each time controlled by foreigners. It is a pity that the game is played a little unfairly, because the approach to all countries should be the same ... There are many athletes with a doping history in Rio, but I am not. Do you think this is fair? Let them clean up athletics all over the world, not just in Russia.”

The world sports star also noted that all the accusations contained in the Richard McLaren report are based on assumptions that do not prove anything. "It's not fair," she said. "I don't see anything positive in the report."

Isinbayeva's reaction to a post she first posted and then deleted on Twitter Olympic champion Barcelona 1992 in the 100m backstroke Canadian Mark Tewkesbury (he accused the new member of the IOC Athletes' Commission of doping), in this case could be considered quite restrained. “Mark deleted his posts on Twitter. I urge athletes to behave with dignity,” she said. However, earlier in an interview Soviet sport Isinbayeva did not rule out that she would sue Tewkesbury for libel.

We add that after the end of the Olympic Games, Yelena Isinbayeva intends to discuss with the current head of the All-Russian Athletics Federation Dmitry Shlyakhtin her prospects for leading this organization. And the head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Alexander Zhukov, has already expressed his support for her.

The arrival of Elena Isinbayeva in Rio de Janeiro aroused great interest of journalists. Our two-time Olympic champion was surrounded right at the airport. She does not participate in current competitions. At the suggestion of the International Athletics Federation, headed by Sebastian Coe, the entire team was suspended from the starts, except for Daria Klishina, but everything was not easy with her until the last moment. In Brazil, Elena Isinbayeva is now as a candidate for the commission of athletes of the International Olympic Committee. Its new composition will be elected at the end of the Games based on the results of a vote of athletes.

Elena Isinbayeva: First of all, there will be a person in the International Olympic Committee, and in this apparatus, which today has some influence, that is, athletes today have a voice, they are heard, and of course, it’s nice to be a link between active athletes and IOC leaders because the information is often distorted. I want to be there and just defend, first of all, the rights of "clean" athletes, and so that the situation in which I found myself will never happen again. I think this is very important for us. Still, we have a big problem that the president of the IAAF federation, instead of defending the rights of "clean" athletes, simply, as they say, leaked everyone, and that's all, and without trial.

Question: How can you comment on the disgrace with Klishina?

Elena Isinbayeva: This is just the height of disgrace. Well, that's just bullying. I’m Dasha, I won’t even say sorry or something, she’s a fighter, I’m sure she will pull herself together, but knowing that this is her third attempt to compete at the Olympics, and she was just a hair away from not performing, it's terrible, of course. These are hassles, these experiences are completely unnecessary, I hope that this situation will not only destabilize her, but harden her. And let her go to the sector and prove that all the accusations against her were unfair, illegal, well, and let her adequately represent all of us, including.

Question: And the head Russian Federation athletics you were offered to become?

Yelena Isinbayeva: Well, this is still the case, this is still in words. Naturally, I will consider this proposal very carefully. If I lead the Athletics Federation, then my image, recognition, respect and authority will help our athletics enter the International Association and continue to compete at the international level. At least I am familiar with all the leaders, and I'm sure the first question to Mr. Koi will be: - Answer the question, why? And that's all. If he can answer it, then I will talk to him. If he can't, then he's not the president at all.

The brightest fragments of the Olympics are shown by Channel One

Channel One receives these frames in real time. Gymnastics in men. Vault. The Ukrainian sportsman Vernyaev makes his attempt. Denis Ablyazin is playing for Russia, who already won bronze medal in the ring exercise.

Continuation of the broadcast immediately after our release, we will also show competitions in kayaking and canoeing, Greco-Roman wrestling, diving and beach volleyball.

Even more Olympics - on the website of Channel One. Just one click of the mouse, and in front of you from the Olympic arena. 150 hours a day. Channel One did it especially for you!

It is generally accepted that women are weak creatures who are always behind the backs of men on the defensive. But the other day in Rio de Janeiro (the place where the very Olympic Games are held), not the most ordinary girl flew in, who is ready to burst into tears and defend herself at the same time. Her name is Elena Isinbayeva. She is a mixture of coffee with milk from a Tabasaran father (the people of the North Caucasus) and a Russian mother, a mixture that can be calm, or can suddenly explode like the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

At a meeting of the Olympic team at the Grand Kremlin Palace in late July, Isinbayeva became so emotional during her speech to the head of state that she immediately burst into tears. Now, having lost all conceivable and unthinkable chances to compete at the Olympic Games, the hungry panther flew to where her offenders are.

She got off the plane psychologically tired, but without visible signs of fatigue in appearance. In her image, as always, minimalism - a white tight T-shirt on a naked body, comfortable trousers above the ankles and comfortable adidas Stan Smith tennis shoes, and a small designer leather backpack behind her back. There is no cosmetics, but a bright manicure in the color of the Russian tricolor highlights her image. She has minimalism in everything - even at the wedding, she preferred a modest, albeit very beautiful dress, without “weighing” herself with a lot of jewelry and other attributes. What attracts us to this great athlete? She practically does not need cosmetics to look spectacular, she is always in good shape and always smiles, even if her whole being does not want it.

“I will not forget and I will not forgive the removal from the Olympic Games,” Isinbayeva blurted out on the move, showing a clear readiness to attack even after the hardest transatlantic flight. “But I am here to be elected to the commission of the International Olympic Committee, although I wanted to win medals here,” the athlete immediately remembered diplomacy. Why is she so angry? Why are you crying?

Because she was deprived of the opportunity to speak at her last Olympics and do it for our vast country. She cries because some official put a negative resolution on the continuation of her purest career, because all the courts of the world denied her justice, and because this very justice has shown its complete absence in the modern sports world.

But then, in the Kremlin, she nevertheless found strength in herself and called Russian athletes“to walk with your head held high” and “to make the whole world shudder with victories” (which, by the way, is happening at the moment). Now, realizing the final refusal, she decided to end her career (which will be announced soon) and devote herself to her family and the development of sports in Russia. Here she is - the main woman Russian sports recent years. She always speaks briefly, does a lot and looks at her best. Here she is, a real girl with a mountainous and proud character and pure beauty, ready to burst into tears instantly and take revenge without a twinge of conscience.

It took a long time to wait for the two-time Olympic champion, who failed to become three-time, but the journalists deserved it. Because in the mixed zone, Elena made a real performance, which ended with applause. She approached the domestic media with a cry: “Russia! We rejoice, we rejoice, we do not grieve.

Prior to that, she answered several questions from representatives of foreign agencies. “Am I disappointed? Yes, I'm happy I won! A lot of girls didn't qualify in terrible weather, she exclaimed. “The luckiest of them won the competition.”

Are you saying that they jumped better than me? Absurd.

- We have been waiting for you for a long time, Lena!
- And I, honestly, did not expect. I thought that after the gold they would have waited, and after the bronze - run away. And you, as true patriots, well done. I'm listening!

- You just said in English that the luckiest one won.
- Didn't you see it? Are you saying that they jumped better than me? Absurd.

- Did the opponents blow less wind when they jumped?
- You know, we are given a minute to try, and the wind blows either in the back or in the sides. Some people get lucky, some people don't. I don't want to say that they were more fortunate than me, but apparently that's how it happened. At a height of 4.70 I had a technically gorgeous jump - you can't fault it. But at 4.75 a strong wind blew. My coach Evgeny Vasilyevich Trofimov tells me, they say, the wind blows in the back - run. And I don’t seem to be ready yet, but I ran and greased it. This was my chance for a gold medal, but I did not take advantage of it, so it was not fate.

- In the rest of the jumps, the wind blew the same way?
- When stronger, when weaker.

- What result did you expect?
- In training before leaving for London, I jumped 4.80. Competitive result - plus 20 centimeters. But I would not be ready to jump five meters - I would refuse to compete, because it is impossible to jump in such weather. And it’s also cold - if you saw, I walked, and did not lie, as before, because I understood that if I lay down, I would become stiff.

- That is, there was a lottery in its purest form?
- Yes. Physically, I was ready to jump 4.80 with my eyes closed.

Physically, I was ready to jump 4.80 with my eyes closed.

- Did you start jumping so early at 4.55 so as not to freeze?
- Of course. It would rain, but no one would cancel the competition. And jumping in the rain is even worse than jumping against the wind. Therefore, I decided that I would jump every height until I won.

- It will be warm in Rio. During this time, it will be possible to get married, give birth to a child and return to the sport.
- Yes, I was not upset: the world and Olympic records were not broken, the girls both jumped and jumped. They just got lucky. But lucky those who want more. Frankly, I wanted to win, but not like in Athens and Beijing.

Tatyana Lebedeva announced that she was going to leave. Will you still compete at the World Championships in Moscow next year?
- Until 36, I definitely won’t jump. Do you want me to stay until the World Championships in Moscow? Well, if that's the case, then I'll stay. I used to think that everything would be finished, because I was tired! And then I thought, who if not me? Moreover, there the emblem of the competition is connected with me. I think that I will rest all winter, the beginning of spring - and I will prepare for the summer. And at least in Moscow to take a gold medal, then to leave.

- It turns out that the demobilization?
- It turns out, yes. I really, like a soldier, dream of demobilization. We seem to be free people, but as soon as you step aside, no one lets go. Here are the sponsors, here are the competitions, here is the contract. And you think: yoksel-moksel! If you don't want to, you won't leave. I cried now with joy, because there was a risk of being left without a medal at all. After all, I had an injury - a torn muscle of 3.5 cm of the thigh. I got it in training, probably overdid it. I couldn't jump, I couldn't run, I couldn't perform. Why didn't I perform in the summer? After all, Isinbayeva always holds three to five starts before the Games. Of course, I say that we need more time to prepare, although a fool understands that something has happened.

Why didn't you talk about the injury?
- And so that you do not feel sorry for me. This is what I'm now open about. Therefore, it was not possible to prepare for 150 percent in order to give out stable jumps. They were stable, but because of the stressful situation with the weather, they broke down. Therefore, I started jumping from such a low height and did not want to psychologically drive myself to 4.70 in order to “ram” myself, as in Berlin. Therefore, they removed any risk, knowing that I would jump at 4.55-4.65 on any pole with my eyes closed.

- Didn't the failure at the start in Monaco unsettle you?
- No, because nothing hurt. Evgeny Vasilievich told me about this. I told him: I didn’t jump anything. And he: “Yes, this is nonsense! We've got London ahead of us." Therefore, I am satisfied with this bronze, I can say that I already love it.

- Your artistic abilities are even higher than those of Khorkina.
- Yes, what are you? Well, let's consider offers.

- Did you go to London to win or how will it turn out?
- Of course, win! If there was a gold medal, I would announce my retirement right now. Still, not a single woman athletics was not triple Olympic champion. So I strangled myself with the thought that here it is - a gold medal.

- Will you rest now?
- Yes, to recover, I’m unlikely to perform this year, as I squeezed everything I could out of myself.

- And if it would be the fourth place?
- That's when you would see my tears. There is no fourth place for me.