Biography of Elena Isinbayeva. Queen of the Pole. Eight main moments of Elena Isinbaeva’s career

Two-time Olympic champion,

holder of several dozen world records in pole vaulting,

conquered a height of 5.05m!

Elena Isinbaeva was born on June 3, 1982 in the city of Volgograd.
Graduated from the Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports.

Elena Isinbaeva’s sports career began with rhythmic gymnastics. In 1997, she was awarded the title of Master of Sports in rhythmic gymnastics. Since November 1997, Elena has been pole vaulting.

He is interested in philosophy and collects a collection of dolphins.

From Elena Isinbayeva’s interview with the Izvestia newspaper: “At school I was a gray mouse...”

Izvestia: As often as I watch you, you are always different: sometimes open and friendly, sometimes tough and prickly. Which Isinbaeva is the real one?

Elena Isinbaeva: My zodiac sign is Gemini. Apparently, this affects the character. In the sector I am a beast, but in life I am kind. I try not to refuse help to anyone. And if I say “no,” then I’m tormented for a long time: maybe I should have helped after all? And I still believe in magic.

Izvestia: Does it exist?

Isinbayeva: It happens. You know, as a child, I waited with bated breath for the New Year, making my deepest wishes. Some of them have come true.

Izvestia: You grew up in a poor family and were forced to wear your mother’s clothes. Peers usually react to this with cruel ridicule...

Isinbayeva: Exactly, it was like that. At school, I generally had a reputation as a gray mouse: the boys mocked me and pulled my pigtails.

Izvestia: Did you complain to the teacher about the offenders?

Isinbayeva: What are you saying, I always fought back. Basically in words, although I also had to fight. With boys - because of their braids, with girls - for other reasons...

Izvestia: Is it really because of the gentlemen?

Isinbayeva: No, no. Let them fight because of me, but never myself.

Izvestia: When did the gray mouse disappear?

Isinbayeva: After winning the World Youth Games in Moscow in 1998. By that time, I had already changed gymnastics to athletics. Then the attitude of my classmates changed. Everyone suddenly became kind and friendly.

"... I defiantly do not notice my rivals in the sector..."

Izvestia: In the sector you always keep yourself apart, wear dark glasses or pull a baseball cap deep over your eyes. Did you come up with this behavior yourself or did someone advise you?

Isinbayeva: It came with time. Now there is too much attention on me in the sector: photographers, television cameras... In order not to be distracted, I put on a cap and retreat into myself. I'm getting ready to jump. I can be in this state for any amount of time.

Izvestia: What are you thinking about?

Isinbayeva: About everything in the world, except jumping. The turn to think about the jump comes when you have to go to the sector.

Izvestia: You once quoted the words of the famous swimmer Alexander Popov that opponents should be psychologically suppressed at the start. How?

Isinbayeva: An arrogant and dismissive look, manners. I defiantly do not notice my rivals in the sector; for me they do not exist. Outside the stadium I can say hello and talk. Never at the stadium. A strong person will stand it, a weak person will break. So far everything is mostly broken.

Izvestia: I read in one of the interviews: it’s easier for you when your rivals hate you. Is it also an element of psychological struggle?

Isinbayeva: Of course. Let my competitors react irritably to me: they’ll touch me with their shoulders, or they’ll step on a pole. I just smile in response, and they lose their temper.

"...There's enough envy around me..."

Izvestia: You are beautiful, famous, wealthy. Do you feel that this is what attracts many people to you?

Isinbayeva: Naturally, and this cannot but offend. There is only one thing left - to select the most worthy. If I see that a person is only drawn to my fame or money, I push him away from me. But if someone just wants to say hello to me or chat, why not? I don’t push anyone away, although I filter my acquaintances.

Izvestia: It is believed that celebrities are surrounded by envy and malice.

Isinbayeva: There is enough envy around me. I try to seek protection from it from the people closest to me - my parents, my sister. And also - from the coach. I can trust them one hundred percent, although they are not omnipotent. When I lost the 2003 World Championship, many were happy about it. They expressed sympathy in person: they say, don’t be upset, you’re still the best. And then on the sidelines they rubbed their hands gloatingly: they say, Isinbayeva has finally blown it.

Izvestia: Was it painful?

Isinbayeva: It hurts... In general, I have a very hard time with losses. At least it’s good that you can learn a lesson from every mistake. Before each start, I remember my state: how resentment burned me then... And I try to do everything to avoid it.

Izvestia: It can be difficult for girls like you to find worthy gentlemen.

Isinbayeva: Are you saying that men are afraid of strong, independent women? (Laughs.) I know, I know, we’ve already been through this. Now I'm dating a guy who trains in the same group as me. It seems to me that he is sincerely happy about my success and is not at all jealous.

Izvestia: Lately you have been leading an active social life. Do you keep up with fashion?

Isinbayeva: To the extent possible. When I'm abroad, I always try to check out the shops. Best purchase ever? Probably the red silk evening dress I bought last fall. I later wore it at a gala evening in the kingdom of Monaco, where I was recognized as the best athlete in the world.

Izvestia: Do you know that an evening dress is supposed to be worn only once?

Isinbayeva: Last year I appeared in it three times - but in different places. Let's assume it didn't highlight him in particular. (Laughs.)

Izvestia: Is it more difficult to give a speech in front of correspondents and other audiences than to speak in the jumping sector?

Isinbayeva: Previously, I was very embarrassed to speak at press conferences in front of journalists. I sit down at the table and feel like I’m literally pounding. Now I seem to have gotten used to it, although it’s still difficult to speak in front of the English-language press. You have to educate yourself - read books, translate with a dictionary.

Izvestia: Have you heard that they are going to erect a monument to you in Volgograd?

Isinbayeva: Not only for me, but also for two other Olympic champions in athletics from Volgograd - Tatyana Lebedeva and Elena Slesarenko. This is the idea of ​​our local sculptor Viktor Fetisov. The sculpture is called “The Three Graces,” and they are going to place it in one of the city’s places of honor. In the future, an alley will be laid out here, where sculptures of all Volgograd Olympic champions will be erected. It could become another one of our attractions.

Izvestia: They say erecting a monument during your lifetime is a bad omen.

Isinbayeva: This is not a monument, this is a sculpture. You know, I really want to capture myself young!

Elena Gadzhievna Isinbaeva, Honored Master of Sports of Russia, was born on June 3, 1982 in the city of Volgograd. From 1998 to 2000 she studied at the School of the Olympic Reserve (UOR), and from 2002 to 2005 at the Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports, after which she received a diploma in teaching physical education. Isinbayeva is.

Elena Isinbaeva’s sports career began in 1987 with rhythmic gymnastics classes from coaches Alexander and Marina Lizov. In 1997, she was awarded the title of Master of Sports in rhythmic gymnastics.

In November 1997, she began pole vaulting with coach Evgeniy Trofimov. She made her debut at the World Junior Championships in Annecy (France) in 1998, where she jumped 4 meters, she was separated from the podium by 10 centimeters.

Isinbayeva's first gold medal came with a jump of 4.10 meters at the World Youth Games in 1999. In 2000, at the World Junior Championships, she won a gold medal, clearing the bar at a height of 4.20 meters.

In 2001, Isinbaeva received a gold medal at the European Junior Championships; she achieved a height of 4.40 meters.

In 2002, Isinbaeva jumped to a height of 4.55 meters at the European Championships, losing 5 centimeters to her compatriot Svetlana Feofanova, who won the gold medal.

In 2003, Elena, having conquered the mark at a height of 4.65 meters, won the European Championship. On July 13 of the same year, at a competition in Gateshead (England), she set a new world record of 4.82 meters.

2004 was truly a golden year for Elena Isinbayeva. In the winter season, she set three world records in the indoor pole vault: two in Donetsk (4.81 meters and 4.83 meters) and one in Budapest at the World Indoor Athletics Championships (4.86 meters ).

Having set 3 more world records one after another in the summer (4.87; 4.89; 4.90 meters), Elena Isinbaeva won her Olympic gold in Athens with a new world record (4.91 meters). After the Olympics in 2004, at competitions in Brussels, Elena set another, eighth, world record (4.92 meters).

In July 2005, at the IAAF Super Grand Prix competition in London, Elena Isinbaeva achieved a height of 5 meters for the first time in the history of women's pole vaulting.

On August 12, 2005, at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Isinbayeva reached a height of 5.01 meters, setting the 18th world record in her sports career.

During 2005, Elena Isinbayeva achieved nine world records.

In February 2006, Elena Isinbaeva set another record in the indoor pole vault, clearing a height of 4.91 meters.

In March 2006, Isinbayeva won gold at the World Indoor Athletics Championships held in Moscow. The Olympic champion cleared 4.80 meters on her first try.

In 2007, Elena Isinbaeva again won the pole vault final at the World Athletics Championships. The result that secured her a gold medal was 4.80 meters.

In the same year, at a tournament in Donetsk (Ukraine), she set another world record in indoor pole vaulting - 4.93 meters.

In February 2008, at the XIX International Pole Stars tournament in Donetsk, Elena set a new world record for indoor pole vaulting. The athlete raised the bar to 4.95 meters and conquered it.

In March 2008, Elena Isinbaeva won the gold medal at the World Indoor Athletics Championships with a score of 4.75 meters.

On July 12, 2008, Isinbayeva set a new world record, breaking her own highest achievement, which lasted almost 3 years. She managed to reach a height of 5.03 meters. This happened at the third stage of the Golden League in Rome.

On July 30, 2008, having cleared a height of 5.04 meters at the Super Grand Prix tournament in Monaco, Elena set the 23rd world record in her career.

On August 18, 2008, Elena Isinbaeva became the Olympic champion in pole vaulting for the second time. At the Beijing Olympics, she set a new world record of 5.05 meters.

In April 2009, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) approved two world indoor records set by Elena Isinbayeva on February 15, 2009.

On August 17, 2009, Isinbayeva sensationally was left without a medal at the World Championships in Berlin. In the final competition, she failed all three attempts.

On August 28, 2009, Elena Isinbaeva won the Golden League competition in Zurich, setting a new world record. On her first attempt, the Russian athlete achieved a height of 5.06 meters. This .

In March 2010, Elena Isinbaeva performed unsuccessfully at the World Championships in Doha, again being left without a medal. In April, the Russian jumper announced her intention to do.

The athlete returned to the pole vault sector in February 2011 at the Russian Winter tournament in Moscow, where she won.

In March 2011, it became known that Elena Isinbaeva returned to her first coach Evgeny Trofimov. From November 2005 to March 2011 her.

In April 2011, the athlete stated that (previously Isinbayeva was a member of the ZDV sports club).

In August 2011, at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu (South Korea) Elena Isinbaeva.

On February 23, 2012, Elena Isinbaeva won a commercial tournament in Stockholm, setting a new world record in indoor pole vaulting. The two-time Olympic champion showed a result of 5 meters 1 centimeter on the second attempt, having previously cleared the bar on the third attempt.

In March 2012, Elena Isinbaeva won the World Indoor Athletics Championships held in Istanbul. She achieved the top step of the podium by successfully clearing a height of 4.70 meters on her first attempt. After which she became a two-time Olympic champion.

On the same day, the athlete announced that after the World Athletics Championships in Moscow.

During the 2012 presidential campaign, Elena Isinbayeva was officially registered as a confidant of Russian presidential candidate and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

For her great contribution to the development of physical culture and sports and high sporting achievements, Elena Isinbaeva was awarded the Order of Honor (2006), the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2009).

Repeatedly won the annual national sports award "Glory"; Three times recognized by the IAAF as the best athlete of the year.

Twice (in 2006 and 2008) she was awarded the most prestigious award in the world of sports, awarded by the Laureus World Sports Academy in the category “Sportswoman of the Year”.

In 2009, she was awarded the 2009 Sports Prize by the Prince of Asturias.

In December 2012, Elena Isinbaeva was elected mayor of the coastal Olympic village in Sochi.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Elena Gadzhievna Isinbaeva. Born on June 3, 1982 in Volgograd. Russian track and field athlete, pole vaulter. Two-time Olympic champion (2004, 2008), Honored Master of Sports of Russia.

Father - Gadzhi Gafanovich Isinbaev - Tabasaran, native of the village of Chuvek, Khiva region of Dagestan, a plumber.

Mother - Natalya Petrovna Isinbaeva - Russian, worked in a boiler room, was a housewife.

She has a younger sister, Inessa (Inna), married to circus artist Mikhail Golev, and has two children.

When Elena was 5 years old and Inna was 4 years old, her parents sent her to artistic gymnastics, although Isinbaeva herself wanted to do rhythmic gymnastics.

Even after becoming an Olympic champion in pole vaulting, she blamed her mother: “I told her: “Mom, why didn’t you send me to rhythmic gymnastics?! My legs are so long, my lines are so beautiful!” And my mother responded: “Daughter, where would we send you and your sister to different sections? There was no time to take you, both one and the other, to rhythmic and sports classes. “That’s how my sister and I got into artistic gymnastics,” she said.

And she did gymnastics for 10 years.

Elena Isinbaeva with her parents and sister Inessa

But at the age of 15, Elena was expelled from the Olympic reserve school as unpromising.

She became a pole vaulter quite by accident: her coach Alexander Lisovoy suggested she try herself in this event. He showed Elena to the track and field coach Evgeniy Trofimov: “Then they told him, okay, if you don’t take it, he’ll go to acrobatics. Evgeniy Vasilyevich replied to this: “Okay, let’s see.” And it turned out that I was passed from hand to hand. asking my opinion, it was not my choice, but I don’t regret it at all. Although at that moment I didn’t understand what it was. I didn’t know this sport, I’d never seen it and I didn’t imagine what would happen in the end. Even I didn’t know about the existence of pole vaulting. How did it all turn out? I came, I saw, I won. This is just about me. By the will of fate exclusively,” the athlete recalled.

And just six months later - in 1998 - Elena Isinbaeva won the World Youth Games in Moscow, showing a result of 4.00 m in the pole vault.

In 1999, she won the World Junior Championships with a world junior record of 4.10 m. In the same year, she took 5th place at the European Junior Championships.

In 2000, the 18-year-old athlete again became the world junior champion with a world junior record of 4.20 m.

At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where women competed for Olympic medals in the pole vault for the first time in history, Elena was unable to make a single qualifying attempt and did not make it to the final (to qualify for the final she had to jump 4.30 m). The champion in Sydney was world record holder Stacey Dragila with a score of 4.60 m (only 3 cm below the world record). Former Russian Tatyana Grigorieva, representing Australia, won silver (4.55 m).

In 2001, with a result of 4.40 m, Isinbayeva again became first at the European Junior Championships. In the same year, Elena took part in the International Festival in Berlin (ISTAF). There, the athlete achieved a height of 4.46 m - a new world record among juniors.

At the 2002 European Championships in Munich, Elena was second with a score of 4.55 m, losing to another Russian, Svetlana Feofanova.

In 2003, at the European Indoor Championships for athletes under 23 years of age, she won the gold medal with a score of 4.65 m.

On July 14, 2003, at the British Grand Prix in Gateshead, Elena set her first world record - 4.82 m. At the 2003 World Athletics Championships in Paris, she was considered the favorite, but became only a bronze medalist, losing to Svetlana Feofanova and German Annika Becker.

At the 2004 Olympics in Athens won her first Olympic gold.

The final in the pole vault at the games in Athens turned out to be extremely stubborn. Pole Anna Rogovskaya, having cleared 4.70 m, failed to clear 4.75 m three times, after which two Russians remained in the sector - Elena Isinbaeva and Svetlana Feofanova, who broke each other's world records that year with enviable consistency. As the current world record holder, Isinbayeva approached the Games with 4.90 m, however, she was on the verge of defeat when she did not first take the height of 4.70 m, and then 4.75 m, while Feofanova overcame these heights from the first and second attempts respectively. As a result, Isinbayeva was forced to go to 4.80 m. And she was able to conquer it. She caught the courage and then took 4.85 m, and then set a new world record - 4.91 m.

On July 30, 2008, at the next stage of the Super Grand Prix series in Monaco, Isinbayeva set another world record - 5.04 meters, exceeding the previous one by one centimeter.

August 18, 2008 at the Olympic Games in Beijing she won the gold medal, setting successively first the Olympic (4.95 meters) and then the world (5.05 meters) records.

On February 15, 2009, at the XX international tournament “Pole Stars” in Donetsk, she set 2 world records indoors, first jumping 4.97 meters and then 5.00 meters.

She was recognized as the best athlete on the planet in 2007 and 2009 according to the Laureus World Academy of Sports Glory.

At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, she failed to overcome a single height in the final. She subsequently admitted that the failure was due to the fact that she paid too much attention to her personal life.

On August 28, 2009, at the fifth stage of the Golden League in Zurich, she set the 27th world record (5.06 meters).

On April 10, 2010, after an unsuccessful performance at the World Indoor Championships in Doha, Elena decided to take an indefinite break from her career.

On February 6, 2011, at the Russian Winter tournament, after a year-long pause in her career, Elena Isinbaeva entered the sector and, having cleared a height of 4.81 m, won the competition with the best result of the season in the world.

For a long time, Isinbayeva lived and trained in Monte Carlo (Monaco). In March 2011, Isinbayeva decided to return to Volgograd.

Failed the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

On February 6, 2012, she was officially registered as a proxy of the candidate for President of the Russian Federation and at that time the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

On February 23, 2012, at the Stockholm Grand Prix, she set a new world indoor record of 5.01 m.

August 6, 2012 at the Olympic Games in London, being the main favorite of the competition, won only a bronze medal, taking a height of 4.70 m. Olympic gold was won by American Jennifer Suhr with a result of 4.75 m (30 cm lower than Isinbayeva’s Olympic record set in 2008), silver went to Cuban Yarisley Silva , who also jumped 4.75 m.

On August 13, 2013, at the World Championships in Moscow, she won a gold medal with a jump of 4.89 m.

Before the 2013 World Championships, Elena Isinbaeva repeatedly stated that after this performance she was going to temporarily interrupt or even end her sports career - she was arranging her personal life and preparing to give birth.

On May 6, 2015, the Russian Ministry of Defense signed a five-year contract with Elena Isinbayeva; she was appointed to the military position of athletics instructor at the Central Sports Club of the Army, with the rank of major.

On February 8, 2016, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) banned Elena Isinbayeva from participating in international competitions due to the suspension of the All-Russian Athletics Federation's membership in the IAAF. Isinbayeva, like all track and field athletes competing for Russia, was not allowed by the IAAF to participate in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Elena Isinbayeva said then that she was upset and angry because of the decision of the council of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF): “I am upset and at the same time angry, I’m offended. No one defended us, no one defended our rights, and it raises huge doubts "The IAAF itself and its position to protect the rights of clean athletes. We are accused of something that we did not do. I first of all consider this discrimination against Russians based on their nationality, because we are from Russia." In addition, she decided to go to court to prove the violation of human rights by the decision of the IAAF council. However, the court did not satisfy the Russian woman’s claim - she never made it to the Olympics in Rio.

On August 18, 2016, she was elected to the Athletes’ Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

On December 7, 2016, Elena Isinbaeva was appointed head of the supervisory board of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), and on March 9, 2017, she was re-elected to this position. WADA reacted negatively to this appointment and demanded that Isinbayeva resign from her post as head of the supervisory board. On May 31, this demand was satisfied: Elena Isinbaeva left the post of chairman of the supervisory board of RUSADA. WADA's requirement was based on the fact that Isinbayeva's appointment was made on the recommendation of the Russian Olympic Committee, therefore she could not be considered an independent person.

Education of Elena Isinbaeva:

In 1989, Elena entered the Engineering and Technical Lyceum, from which she graduated in 1997. In 1998 she entered the Olympic Reserve School and graduated in 2000. In 2002, she entered the Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture, and in 2005, after graduating, she received a diploma in teaching physical education. In 2009 she studied at the Faculty of Art History of Moscow State University. In October 2010, at the Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture, she defended her thesis on the topic “Conceptual model of the evolution of modern Olympic games”, becoming a candidate of pedagogical sciences.

Elena Isinbayeva's height: 174 centimeters.

Personal life of Elena Isinbaeva:

From 2006 to 2009, she dated DJ Artem Khmelenko, a native of Donetsk.

They met during the athlete’s training camp in Donetsk. For a long time, Isinbayeva hid her boyfriend and showed him to the public only in 2008.

At the Beijing Olympics, she said live on camera: “Artem, I love you very much! I really love you.”

Everyone was sure that the couple was preparing for the wedding, she invited Artem to visit her parents in Volgograd, and the couple went on romantic trips together several times. The athlete plunged headlong into her personal life, which affected her results - in 2009 she failed the World Championships in Berlin, unable to overcome a single height in the final.

But in the same year of 2009, Isinbaeva found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her with a model. She made a scandal for him and soon the couple broke up.

After that, she said in an interview with the media: “Now I won’t allow anyone to get between me and sports. I naively thought that you could do a little bit everywhere, but I was wrong. Now athletics is in first place for me again. 100 percent.”

Soon she began a relationship with javelin thrower Nikita Petinov (master of sports, was a member of the Russian national team). They met through social networks when Elena was still living in Monaco. At first we just corresponded.

And since 2011, their relationship has ceased to be virtual. After the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Isinbayeva announced that she was taking a break to arrange her personal life, get married and have a child. Nikita is 8 years younger than Elena.

On June 28, 2014, in Monaco, she gave birth to a daughter, Eva. On December 12, 2014, the couple officially got married.

In the summer of 2017, it became known that Elena. In February 2018.

Professes Orthodoxy.

Achievements of Elena Isinbaeva:

Olympic Games:

Gold - Athens 2004
Gold - Beijing 2008
Bronze - London 2012

World Championships:

Bronze - Paris 2003
Gold - Helsinki 2005
Gold - Osaka 2007
Gold - Moscow 2013

World Indoor Championships:

Gold - Budapest 2004
Gold - Moscow 2006
Gold - Valencia 2008
Gold - Istanbul 2012

European Championships:

Silver - Munich 2002
Gold - Gothenburg 2006

European Indoor Championships:

Gold - Madrid 2005

Records of Elena Isinbaeva:

July 14, 2003 - 4.82 m
February 15, 2004 - 4.81 m (indoors)
February 15, 2004 - 4.83 m (indoors)
March 6, 2004 - 4.86 m (indoors)
June 27, 2004 - 4.87 m
July 25, 2004 - 4.89 m
July 30, 2004 - 4.90 m
August 24, 2004 - 4.91 m
September 3, 2004 - 4.92 m
February 12, 2005 - 4.87 m (indoors)
February 18, 2005 - 4.88 m (indoors)
February 26, 2005 - 4.89 m (indoors)
March 6, 2005 - 4.90 m (indoors)
July 7, 2005 - 4.93 m
July 16, 2005 - 4.95 m
July 22, 2005 - 4.96 m
July 22, 2005 - 5.00 m
August 12, 2005 - 5.01 m
February 12, 2006 - 4.91 m (indoors)
February 10, 2007 - 4.93 m (indoors)
February 16, 2008 - 4.95 m (indoors)
July 11, 2008 - 5.03 m
July 29, 2008 - 5.04 m
August 18, 2008 - 5.05 m
February 15, 2009 - 4.97 m in (indoors)
February 15, 2009 - 5.00 m in (indoors)
August 28, 2009 - 5.06 m
February 23, 2012 - 5.01 m (indoors)

According to Isinbayeva’s coach Evgeniy Trofimov, in the spring of 2013, during training, she reached a height of 5.11 meters. He also expressed confidence that Isinbayeva is potentially capable of taking 5.15-5.20 meters.

Russian athlete, pole vault champion, Honored Master of Sports of Russia, two-time Olympic champion (2004 and 2008).

Elena Gadzhieva Isinbaeva born in the summer of 1982 in Volgograd in the family of a plumber Gadzhi Isinbayev and housewife Natalya Isinbayeva. Elena's paternal relatives live in Dagestan. In 1997, the girl graduated from an engineering and technical lyceum, and in 2005 she received a diploma as a teacher of physical education at the Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports.

“My parents did everything they could for my sister and me. They worked honestly and were not to blame for the fact that my classmates were well dressed and made up, and I wore my mother’s clothes. But I understood the meaning of the word “must” much faster than my peers.

Sports career of Elena Isinbaeva

In 1987, her parents sent Elena and her younger sister Inessa to a sports school, and ten years later Elena became a master of sports in rhythmic gymnastics. When the girl was fifteen years old, she was expelled from the Olympic Reserve School, being considered an unpromising athlete. Coach Alexander Lisovoy decided to demonstrate the success of his ward to his colleague, the track and field coach Evgeniy Trofimov. So Isinbaeva switched from rhythmic gymnastics to pole vaulting.

Thanks to perseverance and self-confidence, Elena Isinbaeva won the World Youth Games just six months after being expelled from school. In 1999, the athlete became the world champion among juniors, reaching a height of 4.1 meters.

Two years later, she broke her own record by 0.3 meters and joined the Russian women's pole vault team.

In 2001, during competitions at the International Festival in Berlin, she conquered the world record among juniors - 4.46 meters. At the European Championships, Isinbayeva lost first place to another Russian athlete, Svetlana Feofanova.

– Arrogant and dismissive looks, manners – I defiantly do not notice my rivals in the sector, for me they do not exist. Outside the stadium I can say hello and talk. Never at the stadium. A strong person will endure it, a weak person will break. So far everything is mostly broken.

In 2003, she managed to get a gold medal at the European Championships and only a bronze medal at the World Championships.

In 2004, the Olympics were held in Athens, where Elena Isinbaeva became the pole vault champion, after which she decided to change her coach. He became Vitaly Petrov. According to the athlete, she needed new motivation for victories, and Trofimov gave her everything he could give. However, the coach himself turned out to be not so correct and stated that Isinbayeva simply ran away from him to the competition in Monaco.

– We must pay tribute to my first coach Evgeniy Vasilyevich Trofimov. He and I achieved Olympic medals and multiple records. He is unique in his own way. And Petrov is unique in that he works with adult athletes - those who are much heavier in character. You can yell at a child, but this system no longer works with adults. He is my friend, father, and coach. He can be both strict and soft. For example, I come to training, the mood is zero. I’ll say: “Vitaly Afanasyevich, I can’t train today.” He will answer: “Well, let’s go to the sea.” We'll go to the beach, sit and talk about life. And the next day he will demand double returns from me. Such coaches are born very rarely, and I believe the main thing in them is patience. Giving up or losing faith is not about Vitaly Afanasyevich. When I feel bad, he will come up and say: “Lena, I believe in you. Everything will be fine". In my opinion, great people have such qualities.

In the summer of 2008, at one of the stages of the Super Grand Prix in Monaco, Elena Isinbaeva set a new world record - 5.04 meters. According to her, her home stadium helped her win. By this time she had already lived in Monaco for a long time.

In August 2008, the athlete won the Beijing Olympics, clearing a height of 5.05 meters. She was going for bronze, and the last jump was to decide her fate. Overnight, Elena decided to overcome the 4.8-meter bar. Thanks to this, Isinbayeva received a gold medal.

– Once the decision is made, I don’t think about it anymore! I always go forward! And when I jumped 4.80, I realized that I would become an Olympic champion. I caught the courage, the energy of the spectators sitting in the stadium, the energy of my parents, my sister, everyone who loves me... It was to them that I gave my performance!.. I almost always show the best results in courage. And this evening everything came together just perfectly. An ideal girl in ideal conditions – it turned out beautifully, didn’t it?

In the winter of 2009, at the international tournament “Zepter – Pole Stars”, the champion again conquered two world records and won the title of the best athlete on the planet according to the Laureus World Academy of Sports Glory.

However, in 2009, luck turned away from Elena Isinbayeva - she could not win the final of the World Athletics Championships in Berlin. In the spring of 2010, she took a break from her career and returned to competition only a year later.

In the winter of 2011, she won the Russian Winter tournament, but at the World Championships in South Korea she took only sixth place.

According to her coach, the girl is hampered by mental problems, plus a stormy personal life that does not allow her to concentrate on her sporting achievements.
Vitaly Petrov also stated that Isinbayeva devotes too much effort and time to participating in advertising campaigns.

- I understand her. The path to the top is not just about winning medals. This includes strengthening your financial condition and position in society. It is almost impossible for an ordinary person to earn money for an apartment in such a short period of time. And Lena, thanks to her performances, can afford this. Sport for her is a path to another life, and I cannot turn a blind eye to it. Only through sports can Lena earn her place in the sun.

In 2016, the athlete was unable to take part in the Olympic Games in Brazil due to a doping scandal. More than 60 athletes were denied entry to the competition.

Yelena Isinbayeva:

“My victory in Cheboksary remains the best result of the season in the world to this day. What I could give to the world in Rio, what heights, what emotions, will remain a mystery... And for me too... I want to burst into tears...”

Elena Isinbaeva Personal life

Elena dated for a long time with an athlete, a member of the Russian national javelin throwing team, Nikita Petinov. In the summer of 2014, she gave birth to a daughter, Eva, from him. In December, the couple decided to formalize the relationship.

Soon after the birth of her girl, she resumed training.

In addition, at different times the athlete starred in the programs “ Evening Urgant", "Minute of Fame", etc. She is an official spokesperson for the Match TV channel and has starred in several commercials.

On the night of July 28-29, 2016, two-time Olympic champion in pole vaulting Yelena Isinbayeva posted the following on her Instagram page: “20 minutes ago I received a negative response from the IAAF Secretary. Unfortunately, no exception was made for me. I was not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games in Rio. No miracle happened. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT, THANK YOU SO MUCH! It’s not my destiny to perform in Rio!”

34-year-old Elena Isinbaeva did not hide the fact that she returned to professional sports in order to try to win a third Olympic gold in Rio 2016. Apparently, the Russian woman will not be a three-time Olympic champion. By the 2020 Games, Isinbayeva will be 38 years old - and she categorically rejects the possibility of her participation in the Olympics in another four years.

This means that the Russian woman’s brightest sports career has come to an end. AiF.ru remembered the most important moments in the sports biography of Elena Isinbaeva.

First gold - at the World Youth Games in Moscow

From the age of five, Elena was engaged in artistic gymnastics, but at 15 she was given a verdict - “unpromising.” Coach Isinbayeva Alexander Lisovoy, worried about the future fate of her ward, I once saw a women’s pole vault competition on TV. This type of athletics was just gaining popularity in the 1990s.

Lisovoy was not mistaken - just six months later, Elena Isinbaeva won the World Youth Games in Moscow, clearing a height of 4.00 m. In 1999, the aspiring athlete won the World Youth Championship with a world record in her age category - 4.10 m.

The first Olympics ended in failure

At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, medals were played for the first time in women's pole vaulting. 18-year-old Isinbayeva was spoken of as a rising star. On the eve of the Olympics, the Russian woman won the World Junior Championships with a new world record in the age category - 4.20 m.

Elena Isinbaeva performing at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Photo: RIA Novosti / Sergey Guneev

However, there was an embarrassment in Sydney. Isinbayeva, who was not expected to win, but was expected to perform decently, did not achieve a single qualifying score and did not make it to the finals. The athlete herself explained this by the fact that her coach was not present at the competition. Evgeny Trofimov was not included in the official delegation of the Russian team, and he went to Australia as a tourist. As a result, he got to the stadium only half an hour after everything was over for his ward.

The first world record and the “Olympic duel” with Svetlana Feofanova

The next time for Isinbayeva was a time of fierce pursuit of the leaders of the women's pole. In 2002, a young Russian woman challenges the leader of the Russian team at the European Championships Svetlana Feofanova. With a result of 4.55 m, Isinbayeva remains second.

On July 13, 2003, at the British Grand Prix in Gateshead, Elena Isinbaeva set her first world record among adults - 4.82 m.

At the 2003 World Athletics Championships in Paris, Isinbayeva was already considered a favorite, but became only a bronze medalist, losing to Svetlana Feofanova and the German Annike Becker.

Svetlana Feofanova. Photo: RIA Novosti / Anton Denisov

The highlight of the 2004 Olympics in Athens was the duel between Feofanova and Isinbayeva. On the eve of the Games, they took turns breaking world records and approached the main start in brilliant shape.

It was a fantastic fight. Feofanova took the height of 4.70 m, and Isinbayeva, having knocked down the bar, moved the remaining two attempts to the line of 4.75 m. But here too, Feofanova took the height, and Isinbayeva was met with failure. And then Elena transfers her last attempt to a height of 4.80 m.

Perhaps this was a key moment not only in this duel, but in Isinbayeva’s entire career. With great difficulty, Elena still took 4.80 m. Feofanova tried to transfer her attempts to 4.85 m, but was unsuccessful. Isinbayeva, already in the rank of Olympic champion, set a new world record - 4.91 m.

5.00m jump and second Olympic gold

On July 22, 2005, at a competition in London, Elena Isinbaeva achieved a height of 5.00 m for the first time in the history of women’s pole vaulting. The athlete began to be called “Bubka in a Skirt” - the legendary Soviet pole vaulter was the first among men to overcome the mark of 6.00 m.

Isinbayeva has never had a simple character. In 2005, she unexpectedly left coach Evgeniy Trofimov for Vitaly Petrov, former mentor of the legendary Sergei Bubka. The departure was controversial; Trofimov and Isinbayeva then did not communicate with each other for a long time.

The period 2005-2008 can be considered “golden” in the Russian woman’s career. In fact, Isinbayeva competed with herself, setting more and more new world records. Rare defeats occurred not because of her rivals, but only through the fault of the Russian woman herself, who suddenly suffered inexplicable breakdowns.

During this period, Isinbayeva won the indoor world championships three times and outdoors twice.

On August 18, 2008, at the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, Elena Isinbaeva becomes a two-time Olympic champion. She simply does not notice her rivals - she takes 4.70 m with her first jump, makes her second jump at 4.85 m, and this is already enough for victory. Then Isinbayeva fights with herself: first, on the third attempt, she breaks the Olympic record, jumping 4.95 m, and then similarly sets a new world record - 5.05 m.

Career break and return to first coach

In 2009, Isinbayeva’s performances became “ragged” - new world records alternated with outright failures. At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, the athlete did not achieve a single height. In an interview, Isinbayeva talks about fatigue and loss of concentration. However, on August 28, 2009, at the fifth stage of the Golden League in Zurich, the jumper set her 27th career world record - 5.06 m.

But in April 2010, at the World Indoor Championships in Doha, Isinbayeva did not make it into the top three and announced an indefinite suspension of her career.

Elena Isinbaeva and Evgeny Trofimov. Photo: RIA Novosti / Maxim Bogodvid

In 2011, a new sensation - Isinbayeva returns to Evgeny Trofimov. In February 2011, at the first competition after the break, the Russian woman won with the best result of the season in the world - 4.81 m.

Isinbayeva declares her main goal to be winning a third Olympic gold. On February 23, 2012, at the Stockholm Grand Prix, the Russian woman set a new world indoor record of 5.01 m. This achievement was the 28th, and currently the last, in Isinbaeva’s career.

Failure at the 2012 Olympics: bronze instead of gold

At the 2012 Games in London, Isinbayeva was considered not just the main favorite in the pole vault. The athlete was considered the brightest star of the Russian national team and her gold medal was considered almost guaranteed.

Elena found herself under incredible pressure from the expectations of others, which played a cruel joke on her. On August 6, 2012, the day of the pole vault tournament, the weather in London was rainy and cold, which made the randomness factor extremely high. In such conditions, the one who has luck on his side wins.

It was not Isinbayeva's day. To begin with, she failed the first jump at a height of 4.55 m. Then, pulling herself together, she moved the attempt to 4.65 m, easily coping with the task. The height of 4.70 m was also confidently taken.

That was the end of it. Having knocked down the bar twice at a height of 4.75 m, Elena made her last attempt at 4.80 m, but failed to repeat the plot of eight years ago. As a result, Isinbayeva finished third with a jump of 4.70 m.

Victorious retirement from sports at the World Championships in Moscow

After the 2012 Olympics, Elena Isinbaeva announced that she intended to retire after the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow. True, the athlete made a reservation, allowing for the possibility of another return to big-time sports after the birth of her child.

The height of 4.75 m, which became Sur's victory in London, was achieved by the American and Isinbayeva on the first attempt, Silva managed the second. At a height of 4.82 m, Sur and the Russian took the bar on the second attempt, the Cuban cleared it on the third.

Everything was decided at a height of 4.89 m. Isinbaeva overcame it on the first try, after which both rivals were unable to repeat this success. The Russian woman, already in the status of world champion, tried to break the world record three times, reaching a height of 5.07 m, but failed.

Returning for the Olympic Rio

On February 12, 2015, Elena Isinbaeva announced the resumption of her sports career. The Russian woman said that her goal is to win the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Skeptics expressed doubts that the Russian woman would be able to once again rise to the level of the world's leading athletes. However, the real barrier on Isinbayeva’s path was the disqualification of the All-Russian Athletics Federation due to a doping scandal. Along with other track and field athletes from Russia, Isinbayeva was prohibited from competing in international competitions.

But all appeals, requests, and appearances at the Court of Arbitration for Sport were unsuccessful - Elena Isinbaeva was denied the right to compete at the Olympics.

On June 21, 2016, at the Russian Championships in Cheboksary, Elena Isinbaeva entered the jumping sector for the last time in official competitions. The two-time Olympic champion won gold with a jump of 4.90m, a season's best in the world.

After this, even skeptics admitted that 34-year-old Isinbayeva could fight for victory in Rio.