Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is a Russian former pole vaulter, born in 1982, who is widely considered the greatest female pole vaulter of all time after transitioning from gymnastics to the event. She won Olympic gold in 2004 and 2008 and bronze in 2012, won three outdoor world championships, in 2005, 2007 and 2013, and set 28 world records over her career, including the still standing outdoor world record of 5.06 metres set in Zurich in 2009, the first time a woman cleared five metres. She was named IAAF Female Athlete of the Year three times, in 2004, 2005 and 2008, and retired in 2016 after being barred from the Rio Olympics under Russia's state-sponsored doping ban.
Facts
Career HighlightYelena Isinbayeva is widely considered the greatest female pole vaulter of all time and set the still-standing outdoor world record. 1 Classification
Competition Category FAQs
How did Yelena Isinbayeva come to pole vaulting?
She left gymnastics at 15 for being too tall and took up pole vaulting in 1998.
She originally trained as a gymnast, but she left the sport at the age of 15 because she grew to over 170 centimetres and was considered too tall for competitive gymnastics. She took up pole vaulting in 1998 and, only six months later, won the 1998 World Youth Games.
Connections
Competed In
Source Wikipedia, Yelena Isinbayeva
Plays
Source Wikipedia, Yelena Isinbayeva
In the Other Atlases
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Wikipedia, Yelena IsinbayevaLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articletier 2Quote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva (%5B%5BWikipedia%3ATemplates+for+discussion%2FLog%2F2025+April+17%23Template%3ALang-rus%5D%5D{{{CRITERION}}}</noinclude>Russian: Елена Гаджиевна Исинбаева, IPA: [jɪˈlʲɛnə gɐˈdʐɨjɪvnə ɪsʲɪnˈbajɪvə]; also spelled as Elena Isinbaeva; born 3 June 1982) is a Russian former pole vaulter.
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Yelena Isinbayeva
WikipediaIntroduction
Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva (Russian: Елена Гаджиевна Исинбаева, IPA: [jɪˈlʲɛnə gɐˈdʐɨjɪvnə ɪsʲɪnˈbajɪvə]; also spelled as Elena Isinbaeva; born 3 June 1982) is a Russian former pole vaulter.
Introduction
She is twice an Olympic gold medalist (2004 and 2008), three-times a World Champion (2005, 2007 and 2013), the current world record holder in the event, and is widely considered the greatest female pole-vaulter of all time.
Wikipedia, article summary lead
Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva (Russian: Елена Гаджиевна Исинбаева, IPA: [jɪˈlʲɛnə gɐˈdʐɨjɪvnə ɪsʲɪnˈbajɪvə]; also spelled as Elena Isinbaeva; born 3 June 1982) is a Russian former pole vaulter.
Plays: Athletics, lead paragraph, plays
Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva (%5B%5BWikipedia%3ATemplates+for+discussion%2FLog%2F2025+April+17%23Template%3ALang-rus%5D%5D{}</noinclude>Russian: Елена Гаджиевна Исинбаева, IPA: [jɪˈlʲɛnə gɐˈdʐɨjɪvnə ɪsʲɪnˈbajɪvə]; also spelled as Elena Isinbaeva; born 3 June 1982) is a Russian former po
Competed In: 2004 Summer Olympics, Article text
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Isinbayeva won gold medal with a new world record height of 4.91 m.
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