Famous Pole Vaulter Feels Like A Queen in Korea

“My goal is to win all the competitions I take part in until I retire after the 13th IAAF World Championships in Moscow in 2013 and break the world record 36 times,” said Russian pole vaulter Elena Isinbayeva (25), who will participate the 2007 Daegu International Athletics Competition.

She obviously knows what she wants in her career.

When this reporter met her at the Hotel Inter-Burgo in Suseong-gu, Daegu yesterday, she had everything: the looks, a chiseled body and a great smile, all the qualifications of a star.

Talking with her revealed that she is a perfectionist yearning for more wins and more world records. It was not a coincidence that she has broken the world record 20 times.

Isinbayeva started gymnastics training when she was five, but as she grew taller and reached 170 cm, she took her coach’s advice and became a pole vaulter.

“I didn’t think I could be a gymnastics champion due to my height,” she said. She is 174 cm tall and weighs 65 kg.

The last world record she set was at the World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki in August 2005 with a vault of 5.01m. She said, “After 2005, I changed virtually everything: my trainer, home, jumping techniques and vault. Last year and this year have been my time to prepare for adjustments and new challenges.”

Having little competition has not helped her set new world records. In the Osaka World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, she won by vaulting 4.8m, 0.21m short of her best record.

It is the second time she visited Daegu. She said, “Whenever I come here, I feel like I have become a queen due to the warm welcome by the people. I want to come here and participate in the championship until I retire as long as I am invited.”

kimsk@donga.com