Queen of Six. Eight highlights of Elena Isinbayeva's career. Biography of Elena Isinbayeva - Olympic champion
Isinbayeva Elena Gadzhievna (06/3/1982) - Russian track and field athlete, pole vaulter. She won the Olympic Games twice - in 2004 and 2008. At the 2012 Games, she won a bronze medal. In addition, the athlete has seven gold medals at the world championships. Isinbayeva has 28 world records. He is also the first woman to reach a height of 5 meters.
“2016 will be the last year of my career. This is absolutely accurate. Therefore, every competition in which I will take part can be regarded as farewell. And it doesn't matter how I perform. No one will take away medals and titles, they can only be increased”
Childhood
Elena Isinbayeva was born in Volgograd on June 2, 1982. Her father is Gadzhi Isinbaev, her mother is Natalia Isinbaeva. Elena also has a younger sister, Inessa. Parents initially prophesied a sports future for their daughters, so they sent them to a gymnastics school. Elena at that time was only 4 years old.
The girl tried very hard in training, did everything that the coaches told her. But at the age of 15, a turning point happened in the life of Isinbayeva. She was simply expelled from the school of the Olympic reserve with the frightening wording "unpromising." Her coach at that time was Alexander Lisovoy. And it was he who did not let the girl quit the sport. He saw a pole vault competition on TV, showed it to Elena, and she liked it. After that, Lisovoy took her to his friend, athletics coach Yevgeny Trofimov.
It turned out that pole vaulting is exactly the sport in which Isinbayeva's talent was revealed in all its glory. After six months of training, Elena won her first tournament - the World Youth Games, which were held in Moscow. She easily took a height of 4 meters, beating all competitors. And a year later, she went to the Youth World Championships and again was the first, this time jumping by 4.10 meters.
Career
Elena Isinbayeva set one world record after another. In 2000, she jumped to 4.20, and a year later to 4.40. And each time a new height brought the athlete another gold medal in various competitions. The first serious misfire occurred only in 2003. It was the World Cup, it was held in Paris. Isinbayeva was then considered the favorite, but as a result she was able to win only bronze. Elena missed ahead another Russian woman Svetlana Feofanova and German Annike Becker.
In 2004, Isinbayeva won her first Olympic gold. And a year later, an equally significant event in his career took place. Isinbayeva became the first to reach a height of 5 meters. In 2008, Elena once again celebrated her victory at the Olympics. At these competitions, the athlete set two new records at once. First, she surpassed the Olympic achievement - 4.95 meters. And in the next attempt and the world - 5.05 meters.
“Winning at the Olympics gave me not only recognition, but also enough money. At 22, I was able to provide for my family. I bought my own car. And now I feel the need to share my experience with young athletes. I always say - you will work, you will live well.
There was a period in the career of Elena Isinbayeva when she stopped winning. And the athlete took a break, left big sport for a year. But still, she returned and began to prepare for the 2012 Olympic Games. A long absence as a result affected the form. Elena was able to conquer a height of 4.70 meters, but this was only enough for third place.
This was followed by another career break. This time he was associated with marriage and the desire to have a child. And only recently, Elena Isinbayeva announced that she was returning to the sport. But, as she herself admits, not for long. And just to perform at the Olympics in Brazil. After that, the athlete plans to finally leave.
Personal life
Yelena Isinbayeva is married to javelin thrower Nikita Petinov. They officially registered their relationship on December 12, 2014. And even earlier, the couple had a daughter, Eva. Isinbayeva kept her personal life a secret from journalists for a long time. She even published a photo of her daughter only when she was one year old.
And it was after this that Elena announced her return to the sport. True, experts and coaches doubt that the athlete will be able to properly prepare for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. But that doesn't stop Elena. She continues to train, and only hopes to win.
Elena Isinbayeva is one of the most titled and famous athletes of our time. Her specialty is pole vaulting. In the piggy bank of Elena - two gold and one bronze of the Olympic Games. Isinbayeva repeatedly became the world and European champion with record results, was recognized as the best athlete in 2007 and 2009.
Her career is a continuous struggle with obstacles, overcoming the impossible, an incredible will to win and a craving for justice. Until now, no one in the world can beat one of the records set by our famous athlete. The biography of Elena Isinbayeva, personal life, children will be discussed in the article. And also about what the athlete had to go through to become truly legendary.
Brief biography of Elena Isinbayeva in childhood
The future athlete was born in early June 1982. Her parents are ordinary people who had working professions. Father is a native of Dagestan, worked as a plumber, he is a Tabasaran by nationality. The biography of Elena Isinbayeva began in Volgograd, where her father moved before the creation of his family. The mother of the athlete - Natalya - is Russian, she worked in the boiler room. Lena and her sister Inna were brought up by their parents in strictness. Both girls were interested in sports as children. Their mother gave them to gymnastics classes at one of the local children's and youth sports schools. Natalya herself was involved in basketball in her youth, but she could not connect her career with big sport. She was not taken to the Institute of Physical Education.
Lena was 5 years old when she first attended classes. Sister Inna soon abandoned training. Now she is far from sports, married a famous circus acrobat, lives with her family in America.
Youth
At the age of seven, Lena went to study at the lyceum, where classes were formed in the technical direction. After 3 years, the parents sent their daughter to the gymnastics section to coach Alexander Lisovoy. At first, he did not see potential in a thin girl. But in terms of flexibility and grace, she had no equal.
After graduating from the Youth Sports School, Lena was taken to the school of the Olympic reserve, from which, however, after some time they were expelled due to "futility". It would seem that the biography of the athlete Elena Isinbayeva could have ended there. But Lisovoy came to the rescue.
Pole vaulting
Alexander accidentally saw on TV the performances of athletes with poles. He immediately thought of Isinbayeva - after all, her height and athletic physique were quite suitable for this sport. Lisovoy agreed with the pole vault coach Evgeny Trofimov, who agreed that he would look at the abilities of 15-year-old Lena.
Many years later, Isinbayeva will thank Alexander Lisovoy by buying a three-room apartment in an elite area and admits that it was he who made her who she is now. And her debt to him is much greater than just buying a home.
The beginning of a sports career
Since 1998, the formation of a sports biography of Elena Isinbayeva began. Personally, under the mentorship of Trofimov himself, the girl was engaged in jumping until 2013 with short breaks.
The first significant victory for the young athlete was the championship at the World Youth Games, which were held in Moscow. Then, being a sixteen-year-old girl, Lena jumped 4 meters high. A year later, Isinbayeva became the first among juniors already at the World Championships held in Seville. The initial result was surpassed by 10 centimeters and turned out to be a world record.
With the advent of the millennium, Elena took part in the second world championship. Here she surpassed not only her rivals, but also herself, breaking the previous record. In 2000, the discipline "pole vault" was included in the Olympic program. What has become a real window to Europe, opening up new opportunities for athletes.
Records after records
A year later, participating in the European Junior Championships, the athlete outperformed all her competitors with a record of 4.40. And in the same season, within the framework of the international festival ISTAF, Elena left no chance for anyone to catch up with the new figure - 4.46 meters. The German Silka Spiegelburg was able to break her record by two centimeters only in 2005.
For the first time, Yelena Isinbayeva was talked about as a great athlete after the 2004 Olympic Games held in Athens. At the pole vault competition, the girl set a world record, moreover, she surpassed herself - 4.91 m. She deserved the gold medal.
New season
A year after the triumphant victory at the Olympics, Elena signed a contract with coach Vitaly Petrov. It is known that he was once the mentor of the legendary Soviet athlete Sergei Bubka. The great athlete at some point even acted as a consultant for Elena. Thanks to him, she developed her own tactics. Of the three jumps, I divided each into three types: warm-up, victory and record. Under each of the stages I chose poles of different heights.
Five-meter height obeyed Isinbayeva in July 2005. At a press conference, she told the whole world that this is not the limit, but only the norm. A month after that, at competitions in Helsinki, she proved that she does not throw words into the wind - the record was increased by 1 centimeter.
The Beijing Olympics and the bitterness of loss
Elena approached the 2008 Olympic Games fully armed and again with a record of 5.04 meters. And at the competitions themselves, the athlete raised the bar by 1 centimeter and again became inaccessible to her competitors.
A year later, troubles began - as part of the World Cup, held in Berlin, Elena failed all her attempts. In the comments to reporters, she told that she fell in love and was mentally distracted. Sports analysts stated that Isinbayeva had no one to compete with, the World Cup was not interesting for her.
An unfortunate nuisance spurred the athlete to new achievements. She made certain conclusions and began to train more than before. But it was not so easy to take new peaks. As part of the new World Indoor Championships, Isinbayeva again failed miserably. The athlete announced a break in her career.
Olympic cycle - 2012
Before heading to London for the Games, Elena set a new indoor pole vault record of 5.01. High hopes were placed on her, but she could not justify them. Isinbayeva climbed the podium, but only with the third result. However, given the extremely unsuccessful last three years, Elena called her third place a very good result.
In the same period, a desire came to leave the big sport, especially since the 30-year-old girl thought about her personal life, her husband and children. The biography of Elena Isinbayeva in sports was very successful, but not quite in private life. And she decided to wait - announced a break.
Scandal of the 2016 Olympics. Completion of a sports career
After giving birth in 2015, Isinbayeva decided to return to the sport, but at the same time stressed that the Olympic Games would be her last. However, it didn't work out nicely. Russian athletes in full force were suspended from participation in the world championship. There was a real scandal - the Anti-Doping Association did not want to allow Russian athletes to compete.
Neither lengthy legal proceedings, nor appeals to the International Athletic Association brought results. In mid-August 2016, Elena ended her career, stating that the athlete who takes first place in the pole vault will only be second for her at the 2016 Olympics.
Personal biography of Elena Isinbayeva
The athlete has always admitted that she grew up in a simple family of workers. And she herself was never arrogant or suffering from star disease. You can easily approach her on the street and talk, she is open to her fans, she never refuses to take pictures, she gives autographs with pleasure.
After the first Olympics, Elena became a regular on various television shows, she was invited to photo shoots, the athlete appeared many times on the covers of glossy magazines and not only in sports headings. Gradually, the girl turned into a real lady. No wonder her fans called her "Queen".
Many men sought her location, and Elena herself fell in love with a young man who is 8 years younger than her, athlete Nikita Petinov. The young man is also from Volgograd, also an athlete-athlete.
Young people met in their hometown. However, they did not immediately realize that they were made for each other. At some point, Elena trained in Monaco, so it was not possible to meet her lover - communication was indirect. Their relationship developed into a serious stage in 2011, when the girl returned to her hometown. The public became aware of their romance only when the athlete became pregnant.
The birth took place in Monaco, where Isinbayeva once lived and trained. Young parents gave birth to a girl, Eva, at the end of June 2014. And in the winter, her parents decided to get married. They did not become original - they celebrated in their native Volgograd. There were few guests, the celebration itself took place in a modest atmosphere. The newlyweds did not want to attract public attention.
At the age of three, baby Eva first appeared in public. Elena took her daughter with her to the All-Russian athletics competitions.
In August 2017, a tragedy struck the Isinbaev family - Elena's mother died. At this time, the athlete was already in position. Isinbayeva gave birth to her second baby, a boy, in mid-February 2018.
Elena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is an athlete specializing in pole vaulting. There are three Olympic medals in the gymnast's impressive piggy bank: gold at the 2004 and 2008 Games and bronze at the 2012 Olympics. She also became the world champion three times in outdoor competitions and four times indoors.Throughout her career, she set 28 women's pole vault world records. The last one - 5.06 m. - is still not beaten. The World Academy of Sports Glory named Elena Isinbayeva "The Best Athlete of the Planet" in 2007 and 2009.
The athlete planned to end her career after performing at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but she, like most Russian athletes, was not allowed to compete due to a doping scandal. On this sad note, Isinbayeva left the big sport and took up social activities and raising children.
Childhood
Elena Isinbayeva's parents are from the working class. Father, Gadzhi Gafanovich, a Tabasaran, moved from Dagestan to Volgograd, was a plumber. Mom, Natalya Petrovna, a native Russian, worked in one of the Volgograd boiler houses. Elena, who was born on June 3, 1982, and her weather sister Inna, were brought up in modesty and strictness. 
Since childhood, the sisters have been engaged in gymnastics in the Volgograd Sports School No. 5. It was the desire of the mother: in her youth, Natalya played basketball, but she could not connect her life with sports: she failed in the exams at the Institute of Physical Education.
Elena was 5 years old and Inna 4 when they were first brought to the sports school. However, the younger sister eventually abandoned the sport. Now she is married to the artist of the famous Cirque du Soleil Mikhail Golev, so she lives in the USA most of the time.
In 1989, the girl was sent to a lyceum with a technical direction. In 1991, Isinbayeva began to study with coach Alexander Lisovoy. He at first doubted her sports future, but when the girl ran around the hall, he was impressed by her plasticity and grace and decided to take her to the team. Over the years of their cooperation, Isinbayeva reached the title of Candidate Master of Sports in artistic gymnastics.
From the sports school, Elena moved to the school of the Olympic reserve, from where she was expelled at the age of 15 with the mark "unpromising". And again, Lisova came to the rescue: after seeing the performance of pole vaulters on TV, he decided that Isinbayeva, with her height and gymnastic training, would be perfect to turn to track and field coach Yevgeny Trofimov. In 2010, Elena gave her first coach a spacious three-room apartment in an elite building. “He did more for me than I did for him,” says the athlete.
Sports career
Under the mentorship of Trofimov, Isinbayeva studied until 2005 (and then from 2010 to 2013), receiving the first Olympic gold and winning 4 world championships. But the first serious victory of the jumper, who, in fact, started from scratch, was the 1998 World Youth Games, held at Luzhniki. At these competitions, the 16-year-old athlete showed a result of 4 meters. 
The following year, she won the World Championships in Athletics (in the junior category) in Seville, increasing her result by 10 centimeters, thereby setting her first world record.
In 2000, Elena Isinbayeva became the World Junior Champion with a height of 4.20 meters. The year 2000 is significant for Elena and the fact that this year the relatively new discipline "pole vault among women" was included in the Olympic program - this opened up new horizons for her. Alas, the 18-year-old athlete did not take a single height.
In 2001, Elena took part in the European Championship among juniors and won again with a score of 4.40 meters. Speaking in Berlin at the ISTAF International Festival, Isinbayeva again took a record height of 4.46 meters. It wasn't until 2005 that the German Silke Spiegelburg beat those numbers with 4.48 meters.
The best jumps of Elena Isinbayeva
In 2002, the European Championship brought Elena second place with a height of 4.55 meters. Isinbayeva conceded the confrontation to compatriot Svetlana Feofanova.
In 2003, Isinbaeva, with a height of 4.65 meters, again won gold at the European Championship in the age category up to 23 years. In July of the same year, the Athletics Games in Gateshead brought Isinbayeva a world record with a score of 4.82 meters. But the World Championships in Paris in the same 2003 added only bronze to her personal piggy bank. The German Annike Becker had the gold, and Feofanova had the silver.
Popular fame came to Isinbayeva after the 2004 Athens Olympics. On August 24, she set a new world record - 4.91 m - and received the "gold" deserved by hard training.
In 2005, Isinbayeva moved to coach Vitaly Petrov, who once coached Russian jumper Sergei Bubka. During training, Bubka himself advised Isinbayeva. Together they also participated in the Pole Stars tournament in Donetsk.
By that time, Elena had her own tactics. She divided three jumps according to the planned heights: warm-up, victory and record. There is a pole for each jump. The individuality of each lies in the color of the winding. First jump with warm-up height - pink wrapping. The second jump with a winning height is blue. And to set new records, Elena chose a golden color.
In 2005, Lausanne hosted the Atletissima-2005 Super Grand Prix tournament. Elena The height of the championship was kept at around 4.60 meters, taken by the American Stacy Dragila. Elena performed at the end: the warm-up height of 4.70 meters and the winning height of 4.93 meters were taken by her flawlessly.On July 22, 2005, the pole vaulter reached the 5-meter height for the first time. Of course, it was Isinbayeva. After that, the athlete told reporters that five meters is the norm for her and the optimal training limit. Three weeks later, Elena increased her record by 1 centimeter as part of the competition in Helsinki. In July 2008, at the stage of the Super Grand Prix series in Monaco, the athlete set a world record of 5.04 meters. During that period, she lived and trained in Monaco.
In 2008, the Olympic Summer Games were held in Beijing. Isinbayeva won gold and raised the record bar to 5.05 meters.
Elena Isinbayeva's world record at the 2008 Olympics
Black line
In 2009, at the World Championships in Berlin, Elena could not take a single height in the final. Elena herself commented on her defeat with excessive self-confidence and a busy personal life, and maybe a long stay in Monaco. Experts, on the other hand, argued that Isinbayeva simply had no equal rivals left, and there was no one to spur her to improve her own results. 
Because of the defeat in Berlin, she drew conclusions for herself and decided to concentrate only on sports. And so, at the 10th international tournament "Zepter - Stars of the Pole", Elena set heights of 4.97 and 5.00 meters.
In 2010, the World Indoor Championships in Athletics brought disappointment to Russian fans - Isinbayeva was defeated. She announced a break, suspending participation in any competition. She did not refuse public activities, speaking as an ambassador to Singapore at the 2010 Youth Olympics.
The return of Isinbayeva became known in December 2010. Tournament "Russian Winter" in 2011 was the first after a year's pause, and the height taken 4.81 meters - the best result of the season in the world.
The 2011 World Championship did not bring any medals and great results to the Russian athlete, but by that time Elena had learned to “bear defeats” and correctly assess the strength of her opponents. February 2012 was marked by a new world record for women's indoor pole vault - 5.01 meters. Isinbayeva's fans had high hopes for the Summer Olympics in London, but the Russian woman with a score of 4.70 became only third, losing first and second places to American jumper Jennifer Sur (4.75) and Cuban Yarisley Silva (4.75).
Nevertheless, Isinbayeva herself called third place a success, given the setbacks that have plagued her for the past three years. She took the bronze medal as a sign from above, motivating her not to leave after the London Olympics, as Elena had originally planned.
After that, the 30-year-old athlete seriously thought about motherhood and decided to take a break in her career, or even put an end to it. But when, in August of the same year, at the World Championships held in Moscow, Elena won the “gold” by jumping to a height of 4.89 meters, she announced her likely participation in the next summer Olympics.
Isinbayeva's jump at the 2013 World Cup in Moscow
Yevgeny Trofimov claimed that during a training session in the spring of 2013, his ward managed to take a height of 5.11 meters and that in the future she would be able to take 5.20.
Olympics in Rio. End of career
In the winter of 2015, a year and a half before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Elena Isinbayeva, who managed to give life to baby Eva during this time, announced her return. “I love sports so much that it’s impossible to just take it and leave it,” she said, noting that 2016 will undoubtedly be her last year in big-time sports.But there was no happy ending. In fact, Elena's last competition was the Russian Championship in Cheboksary, where the athlete showed the best result in the world for the season - 4.90.
In February 2016, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) suspended all Russian athletes from participating in the upcoming Olympics due to a doping scandal, although neither WADA nor the IOC had claims against Elena. Only Daria Klishina was allowed to represent Russian athletes, since at that time she had lived and trained in the States for more than 3 years. Until recently, Elena hoped that the IAAF would change their attitude, at least in relation to her.
Those who win the Rio Olympics will always be number two, in the absence of me in Rio; whoever wins, it will be second place.
But neither Isinbayeva nor other athletes from Russia were present at the opening of the Games in Rio de Janeiro. Neither the Court of Arbitration for Sport nor a direct appeal to the IAAF helped. "Gold" was taken by the Greek Ekaterini Stefanidi, who took a height of 4.85. On August 19, 2016, Isinbayeva completed her sports career.Yelena Isinbayeva burst into tears at a meeting with Putin
Elena Isinbayeva's personal life
Outside the sports arena, Elena has always been a very simple and sociable girl, not prone to shocking. Even at the first Olympics in her life, she entered the stadium without makeup, with her hair carelessly collected in a ponytail. 
Over the following years, the beautiful and charming athlete became a frequent guest on the pages of glossy magazines, and fans gave her the nickname "Queen". Many men, world sports stars, dreamed about her, but her heart went to the athlete Nikita Petinov, master of sports in javelin throwing. Like Elena, he is a native of Volgograd. “I threw a spear right into Isinbayeva’s heart,” they joked on the Web.
To communicate with Nikita, then still quite a young man (Nikita is 8 years younger than his beloved), Elena met in her hometown. But it was still too early to talk about romantic relationships. When she moved to Monaco, she often communicated with Nikita via the Internet. In 2011, she arrived in Volgograd - apparently, then the “everything is serious” phase began in their relationship.
Biography
Elena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is a Russian pole vaulter. Two-time Olympic champion among women (2004, 2008), winner of the bronze medal for women of the 2012 Olympic Games. 3x World Outdoor Champion and 4x World Indoor Champion for Women, European Champion for both Outdoor and Indoor Women. Holder of 28 world records in the women's pole vault. Honored Master of Sports of Russia.
On July 22, 2005, at competitions in London, for the first time in the history of women's pole vaulting, she took a height of five meters. On March 6, 2012, she was recognized by some media as one of the most successful active athletes in Russia
On August 18, 2016, she was elected to the Commission of Athletes of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), entering the top four selected from 24 candidates, receiving 1365 votes from 11 thousand voting athletes, with a term of office of 8 years. Before her, Alexander Popov was an athlete from Russia on the commission. On August 21, 2016, she was elected to the International Olympic Committee, receiving 45 out of 70 votes with two abstentions.
Major of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Elena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva was born on June 3, 1982 in Volgograd. Her father, Gadzhi Gafanovich Isinbaev, is a Tabasaran, a native of the village of Chuvek, Khiva district of Dagestan, and works as a plumber. Mother - Natalya Petrovna Isinbayeva - Russian, worked in a boiler room, later - a housewife; died in 2017. Sister Inessa is married to circus performer Mikhail Golev.
In 1989, Elena entered the Engineering and Technical Lyceum and 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, in 2005 after which she received a diploma of a teacher of physical culture. In 2009 she studied at the art history department of Moscow State University. In October 2010, at the Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture, she defended her Ph.D. thesis on the topic "Conceptual model of the evolution of modern Olympic Games", becoming a candidate of pedagogical sciences.
For a long time, Isinbayeva lived in Monte Carlo, Monaco. In March 2011, Isinbayeva made the decision to return to Volgograd, in order, she said, to spend more time with family and friends. However, already in 2013, Isinbayeva announced that she planned to move back to Monaco.
He professes Orthodoxy. He is a member of the board of the Resurrection Charitable Foundation, which collects funds for the construction of the Main Temple of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Athletics instructor of the Central Sports Club of the Army, holds the rank of major.
On August 28, 2016, she announced her intention to stay in Russia.
On October 1, 2016, she became a jury member of the Ice Age show on Channel One.
During the 2018 presidential election, she joined the Putin Team movement, which supported Vladimir Putin.
Personal life
On June 28, 2014, Elena Isinbayeva gave birth to a daughter, Eva, from Nikita Petinov (born 1990), a javelin thrower, a member of the Russian national team. On December 12, 2014, she married him.
February 14, 2018 Elena became a mother for the second time. She gave birth to a boy Dobrynya. The birth took place in Monaco. .
Sports career
During the competition, the athlete adheres to a certain tactic: her first height is warm-up, the second is victorious and the third is record. At the request of Elena, the manufacturer of the poles "Spirit" makes multi-colored windings on them. For the initial height, Isinbayeva chose pink, for the victory - blue and for the record - golden.
1998-2003
When Elena was 5 years old and her younger sister Inna was 4 years old, their parents sent them to a sports school where they did gymnastics. Her coach Alexander Lisovoy, having seen the performance of the pole vaulter on television, showed the ward to the track and field coach Yevgeny Trofimov.
At the very beginning, coach Alexander Lisovoy had doubts about the future of Elena Isinbayeva in gymnastics due to her high growth, but natural data convinced him to take her to the children's section. At this time, Isinbayeva was expelled from the Olympic reserve school, because she was considered an unpromising athlete. Alexander Lisovoy considered that she has a future in pole vault due to her good gymnastic preparation. Later, Elena Isinbaeva will give her first coach an apartment, saying that he did much more for her than she did for him. Elena Isinbayeva stated that it was the first coach who gave her the road to life and correctly directed her.
Six months later, in 1998, Yelena Isinbayeva won the World Youth Games in Moscow with a score of 4.00 m. place at the European Championship among juniors.
In 2000, the 18-year-old Russian woman again became the world champion among juniors with a world record among juniors - 4.20 m. valid attempt and did not make it to the final (to qualify for the final, it was necessary to jump 4.30 m). World record holder Stacey Dragila became the champion in Sydney with a score of 4.60 m (only 3 cm below the world record). Silver was won by former Russian Tatyana Grigorieva, representing Australia (4.55 m).
In 2001, with a score of 4.40 m, Isinbayeva again became the first, this time at the European Junior Championships. In the same year Elena took part in the International Festival in Berlin (ISTAF). There, the athlete conquered a height of 4.46 m - a new world record among juniors, which was surpassed only in 2005 by the German athlete Silke Spiegelburg, improving Isinbayeva's achievement by 2 centimeters. At the 2002 European Championships in Munich, Elena was second with a score of 4.55 m, behind another Russian Svetlana Feofanova.
In 2003, at the European Indoor Championships among athletes under the age of 23, she won the gold medal with a score of 4.65 m. On July 13, 2003, at the Grand Prix of Britain in Gateshead, Elena set a new world record - 4.82 m. At the World Championships in athletics in 2003 in Paris, she was considered the favorite, but she only won the bronze medal, losing to Svetlana Feofanova and German Annika Becker.
2004-2009
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. Regarding her achievement, the athlete said:
“I live in Monaco. It was my first competition at my home stadium, which could not but motivate me.”
On August 18, 2008, at the Olympic Games in Beijing, she won a gold medal, setting successively first Olympic (4.95 meters) and then world (5.05 meters) records.
2010-2016
On February 15, 2009, at the XX International Pole Stars Tournament in Donetsk, she set 2 indoor world records, first jumping 4.97 meters and then 5.00 meters (the result has not yet been officially approved).
Elena is the best athlete on the planet in 2007 and 2009 according to the Laureus World Academy of Sports Glory.
Having reached the final of the 2009 World Championship in Berlin without any problems, she failed to overcome a single height in the final. After the competition, Isinbayeva said that, constantly winning and setting record after record, she apparently lost the necessary concentration. The athlete admitted with tears in her eyes that she was ashamed in front of the coach.
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.
In April 2010, Elena was chosen as the Ambassador of the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
After a pause, information appeared in the press that Elena plans to return to performances in early 2011, but this information was officially confirmed only on December 1, 2010 - information appeared on the official website of the ARAF that Elena would take part in Russian Winter.
On February 6, 2011, at the Russian Winter tournament, after a one-year pause in her career, Elena Isinbayeva entered the sector and, taking a height of 4.81 m, won the competition with the best result of the season in the world. On August 30, 2011, however, she was left without a medal at the World Championships in Athletics in Daegu.
On February 6, 2012, she was officially registered as a trustee of the candidate for the 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 indoor world record - 5.01 m. On August 6, 2012, at the Olympic Games in London, being the main favorite of the competition, she won only a bronze medal, taking a height of 4.70 m. Olympic gold American Jennifer Sur won with a score of 4.75 m (30 cm below Isinbayeva's Olympic record set in 2008), silver went to Cuban Yarislei Silva, who also jumped 4.75 m.
On May 18, 2013, she became the winner of the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix with a score of 4.70 m.
On August 13, 2013, at the World Championships in Moscow, she won a gold medal by jumping 4.89 m.
Before the 2013 World Cup, Elena Isinbayeva repeatedly stated that after this performance she was going to temporarily interrupt or even end her sports career. The reason was Elena's desire to become a mother. However, immediately after winning the championship with a result far from the record, coach Evgeny Trofimov announced Elena's planned participation in several commercial competitions, and Elena herself announced a possible participation in the 2016 Olympics.
In October 2013, Isinbayeva began work as mayor of the Olympic Village in Sochi.
On February 12, 2015, she announced the resumption of her sports career.
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 CSKA athletics instructor.
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 membership of the All-Russian Athletics Federation in the IAAF. Isinbayeva, like almost all athletes competing for Russia, was not allowed by the IAAF to participate in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, only one Russian athlete was allowed to participate, while an indispensable condition for the admission of Russian athletes to participate was accommodation and training for the last three years abroad. On August 19, 2016, Elena announced her retirement from sports.
On December 7, 2016, Elena Isinbayeva was appointed head of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), on March 9, 2017 she was re-elected to this position. WADA reacted negatively to this appointment and demanded the resignation of Isinbayeva from the post of head of the supervisory board. On May 31, this requirement was satisfied, Elena Isinbaeva left the post of chairman of the supervisory board of RUSADA. The WADA requirement was based on the fact that Isinbayeva's appointment was made on the recommendation of the Russian Olympic Committee, and therefore she could not be considered an independent person.
Awards and titles
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" IV degree (August 2, 2009) - for a great contribution to the development of physical culture and sports, high sports achievements at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in 2008 in Beijing.
Order of Honor (February 18, 2006) - for a great contribution to the development of physical culture and sports and high sports achievements.
Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree (August 13, 2012) - for a great contribution to the development of physical culture and sports, high sports achievements at the Games of the XXX Olympiad 2012 in London (Great Britain).
Prince of Asturias Award (October 2009).
Honorary citizen of Donetsk (2006).
On January 31, 2010, Elena Isinbayeva was recognized as the best athlete of the decade by Track & Field News magazine.
World's Best Athlete by Track & Field News in 2004 and 2005.
The best athlete in the world according to the IAAF (2004, 2005, 2008).
On November 16, 2013, at the awards ceremony in Monaco, she was awarded the "For Special Merit in Sports" award.
The best athlete in Europe in 2005 and 2008.
The fountain, named after her, stands near the Vysota cinema in the Kuzminki district of Moscow.
At the end of 2013, she was recognized as the Sportswoman of the Year (her name was named by the majority of fans by voting on the Internet, as well as by the delegates of the reporting conference of the All-Russian Athletics Federation).
"Silver Doe" - the best athlete of the year (Federation of Sports Journalists of Russia, December 18, 2013)
European Athlete of the Year (2013). As voted by the International Federation of Sports Journalists.
Isinbayeva's statement about LGBT
On August 13, 2013, at a press conference, Isinbayeva, answering a journalist's question about the action of Swedish athletes in support of the LGBT community in Russia, spoke out in defense of laws banning propaganda of homosexuality in Russia among minors. This opinion was regarded as homophobic by many foreign media, accusations of hate speech and demands to deprive the athlete of the post of Olympic ambassador followed. Isinbayeva's statement was condemned by many eminent athletes. In this regard, Isinbayeva, through the press service of the Athletics Federation, was forced to issue a refutation in which she claims that she was misunderstood due to her poor knowledge of English. She stated that she opposes discrimination based on sexual orientation, but urged the guests of the championship to comply with the existing laws of Russia.
Participation in filming
In 2010, she appeared in a TV commercial for the Lady Speed Stick.Since November 2015, he has been the advertising face of the Match TV channel.
She starred in 2016 commercials for Open Juice juice and Tsitovir-3 cold capsules.
In 2017, together with Dmitry Nagiyev, she starred in an MTS commercial.
She was a member of the jury in the 2013 finals of the TV shows KVN, Minute of Glory and Without Insurance. She starred in the program "Evening Urgant" and "ProjectorParisHilton".
Brand
Isinbayeva plans to make her name an official brand, for which she has filed an application for registration of the Isinbayeva trademark with Rospatent. It is expected that the athlete's personal trademark will contain a figurative element in addition to the famous surname.
Elena Isinbayeva is an outstanding Russian athlete, Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Twice became the Olympic champion. Bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics. Three-time world champion, four-time world indoor champion. Elena Isinbayeva has 28 world records. She has been repeatedly recognized as the best athlete of the year in Russia, Europe and the world.
Childhood and the beginning of a sports career
The famous athlete was born on June 3, 1982 in Volgograd in the family of Gadzhi Gafanovich and Natalya Petrovna Isinbaev. Elena's father, Tabasaran by nationality, to this day works as a plumber in one of the housing departments of Volgograd. Mother (Russian by nationality) previously worked as a boiler room operator, now she is a housewife. Parents from an early age instilled in Elena a love of sports. Her father was engaged in wrestling and boxing in his youth. Mother preferred skiing and basketball.
At the age of five, Elena began to attend the gymnastics section at the sports school. The future pole vaulter successfully performed at regional and Russian competitions among girls, studied and trained at the Olympic reserve school. At the age of 15, Elena became a master of sports in artistic gymnastics. However, she soon had to end her career as a gymnast due to her high growth for a gymnast.
Transition from the gym to the pole vault sector
In 1997, athletics entered the biography of Elena Isinbayeva. She specializes in pole vaulting. The athlete was advised to go to this athletics discipline by Alexander Lisova, her gymnastics coach. Elena was taken to his group by the famous Volgograd pole vault coach Evgeny Trofimov. Gymnastic training helped Isinbayeva quickly master a technically complex sport.
In January 1998, Elena took second place in the Russian winter championship among girls. In the summer of the same year, she was able to win the 1st World Youth Games in Moscow, breaking the bar at a height of 4.0 meters. In 1999, Isinbayeva became the strongest at the World Youth Championship. In 2000, the young athlete won the junior world championship.
Isinbayeva's first appearances at the Olympics
At , held in Sydney, medals in women's pole vault were played for the first time. Isinbayeva joined the Russian national team and got the opportunity to start at the largest competitions on the planet. The Olympic debut of the 18-year-old athlete was unsuccessful. Elena could not overcome the qualifying standard and did not make it to the final part of the competition. However, for the young jumper, the very fact of participating in the Olympics was important.
In the inter-Olympic cycle, Isinbayeva, not without success, performed at major international competitions. In 2002, she managed to become second at the European Championships (4.55 m). A year later, the athlete won a bronze medal at the World Championships (4.65 m). Then she became the strongest, another representative of Russia. At the event, held in Greece, the homeland of the ancient Olympic Games, fans were expecting a new duel between Isinbayeva and Feofanova.
The fight for gold between the two Russians in the pole vault sector has become one of the highlights of the athletics tournament in Athens. By that time, since the beginning of the year, Feofanova had twice improved the world record, and Isinbayeva managed to do it 5 times. Elena failed her first two attempts at the Olympics. She knocked down the bar at a height of 4.70 m, and then failed to clear 4.75 m.
For the remaining attempt, Isinbayeva ordered 4.80 m, and she managed to take this height. A successful jump brought Elena Olympic gold! Svetlana Feofanova completed her performances by breaking the bar at around 4.75 m and winning silver. Isinbayeva, encouraged by her success, cleared 4.91 meters on her first attempt and set a new world record, which was her sixth in 2004.
The triumph of Yelena Isinbayeva at the 2008 Olympics
Yelena Isinbayeva and her record jump at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing
Our illustrious athlete came to the rank of Olympic champion and two-time winner of world championships. After winning in Athens, Isinbayeva became one of the most popular athletes in Russia and around the world. Many experts and fans were sure that she would win the 2008 Olympics with a world record. The outstanding jumper lived up to these expectations, repeating her Athenian success.
In order to win the "gold" in Beijing, Isinbayeva had two jumps. On the first attempt, she took a height of 4.70 m, and then easily overcame the bar at around 4.85 m. American Jennifer Stuchinsky, who eventually became second, showed a result of 4.80 m. The Russian jumper set a new world record that day. On the third attempt, Elena overcame a height of 5.05 m. For her achievement at the 2008 Olympics, she was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree.
Is the 2012 Olympics not the last for an athlete?
In 2012, Isinbayeva took part in the Olympic Games for the fourth time. The great pole vaulter was able to win the third medal. The result of 4.70 m brought her "bronze". A year later, at the World Championships held in Moscow, Elena performed more successfully. She won the gold medal! After that, Elena told reporters that she was taking a break from competitions to become a mother. The numerous army of her fans was glad to hear from her words about a possible participation in the 2016 Olympics.
Isinbayeva's life outside the jumping sector
At the winter, the two-time Olympic champion was the mayor of the Olympic Village. In June 2014, she gave birth to a daughter, Eva. Elena's husband is an athlete Nikita Petinov. Isinbayeva is a major in the Russian Army, under a contract with the Ministry of Defense, she works as an instructor in athletics at CSKA. The famous athlete is active in social activities, participates in charity events.