Posted: February 12, 2005

Athletics: Isinbayeva ‘100 Percent Ready’ For 2005 Debut

By Bob Ramsak, Track Profile

(c) 2004 Track Profile all rights reserved TrackProfile.com

Donetsk, UKRAINE -- On the eve of her highly anticipated 2005 debut at Saturday’s Zepter Pole Vault Stars meeting in Donetsk, Yelena Isinbayeva says she’s "100 percent ready" and "very eager to return to competition."

"I was training quite well, and I feel that I’m in pretty good form," said the 22-year-old Russian, the reigning Olympic and World Indoor champion, who raised the World record twice at this competition last year. "I greatly hope that I won’t disappoint the spectators. I hope that everything will be okay," she added, before quickly correcting herself. "No, quite okay."

Isinbayeva said she hasn’t strayed at all from the training regimen that led to 10 wins in 12 competitions last year, one in which she set eight world records and garnered Athlete of the Year honors.

"I was following my usual training routine and training scheme. It was the same as I was preparing last year for Athens. I haven’t really changed anything this year."

During his introduction of the meeting’s main competitors, Ukrainian pole vault legend Sergey Bubka, the main organizer of this annual gathering of international pole vault talent, said he believes that Isinbayeva is prepared to challenge the event’s five-meter barrier. Smiling, Isinbayeva was eager to agree.

"Well if the Great Bubka said this, I think this is quite possible. As you know, human possibilities are unlimited – there is no limit to human potential. So I greatly hope that I will open one day and do what the great Bubka says."

Late last summer, Isinbayeva confirmed that she had already cleared that magical barrier last year in training, but has yet to reach that height in training this year. But she doesn’t seem too concerned.

"This year I was jumping 4.95 in training, so everything is going according to schedule." Her five-meter jump, she said, "came in the summer last year, and now it’s winter, so everything is going as I had hoped."

Her relatively late mid-February debut this year came simply because she took a longer break from competition than in previous years.

"I started training a little bit later this season, so beginning in Donetsk is according to my schedule." Isinbayeva said there are three more competitions on her schedule after this weekend: the Norwich Union Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham next weekend, the IAAF permit meeting in Lievin, France, and in Madrid at the European Indoor Championships.

While perhaps a daunting task, Isinbayeva said that she can successfully follow-up on her stellar 2004 season.

"God gives me the chance, and of course I would like to have a better year. I try to perform better and better from year to year." Performing better also means collecting additional hefty record bonuses. But financial incentives are not a driving force.

"I’m not thinking about money, I’m thinking about collecting good results." Which means more world records? Emphatically she said: "Yes."

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