Isinbayeva unbeatable in Volgograd

In the absence of Svetlana Feofanova, who had already earned a spot on the
European Indoor Championships squad, Yelena Isinbayeva and Yelena Belyakova
emerged as the two top contenders for the National title in Women`s PV.
Present in the stands was Yevgeniy Bondarenko, Belyakova`s and Feofanova`s
coach, who made a special trip down to Volgograd from Ghent, Belgium.
Isinbayeva, just as she did two years ago in the same arena, won the
competition, but this time around she had to settle for clearing the same
height as her oppponent - 4,40 m. The Volgograd native started at 4,10,
then gradually cleared 4,20, 4,30 and 4,40, all on her first attempts, which
was precisely what secured victory at the end of the day. Belyakova, who
opened at 4,20 m, also managed clearing 4,40, but only on her second
attempt. Curiously, it was reported later that two weeks prior to the
competition Isinbayeva was in top shape, as indicated by her clearing 4,60
in practice, only to fall to an unforunate illness shortly afterwards, which
kept her completely away from the pit up until the day of competition.