High Jump: Need to Worry about the Future?



Mariya Kuchina, the inaugural High Jump Youth Olympic champion.
Photo: Aleksandr Mantsevich
http://www.mancevich.ru/

         Blanka Vlasic has been the reference of the women's high jump event ever since she won her first senior gold medal of note at 2007 Osaka World Championships.  She is the current World and European titleholder and besides she can claim such astounding statistics as a record 34 competitions winning streak and about one hundred jumps over 2 meters. She has cleared the historical barrier almost in every contest she has participated in the last four years, feat only comparable with world record holder Stefka Kostadinova’s performances in the eighties and the nineties. Indeed, Vlasic is the overwhelming favourite to win at London Olympic Games the only title she still does not have.  Yet, lately things seem easier than they used to be.   

         Sara Simeoni was the first woman who was beaten in a major championship (at 1984 Olympic Games by Ulrike Meyfarth), despite clearing 2 meters.  Blanka Vlasic, precisely, was (at 2006 European Championships) the first one left out of the medals in the same situation, but not the late:  no less than five jumpers went over 2 meters in Osaka and four at Beijing Olympics.  As evidence of the excellent level of the field, a total of sixteen jumpers got to qualify for the 2007 World Champs final, after clearing the 1.94 standard.  These happy days for the high jump event are now gone.



Svetlana Shkolina, one of the biggest hopes of the new generation of Russian jumpers.
Photo: Lukk2008   http://www.flickr.com/



         Some of the top names of the discipline as Kajsa Bergqvist, Vita Palamar, Amy Acuff or current Olympic champion, Tia Hellebaut, had retired.  Others are struggling with injuries as Yelena Slesarenko, whose return to top form seems every time more unlikely, or Ariane Friederich, who will not be back until next year, after her Achilles tendon operation. Anna Chicherova, finally, is out for maternity leave. 
       Among the athletes right now on the field, American Chaunté Lowe is the only one who seems to have the capacity to upset Vlasic in a major final, after her strong comeback , improving the 20 year-old Louise Ritter's national record.  Besides, there are discouraging symptoms about the lack of relay in the discipline: Only two of the finalists in the 2009 World championships, Svetlana Shkolina and Meike Kröger were younger than 25 years.  More recently, the recent European indoors results were lacklustre, as all the winter season was.  Still more if we consider the gold and silver medallist of the championships age: although their performances are yet respectable, we can not forget Di Martino will be 34 in the Olympics and Beitia 33.  Vita Styopina or Venelina Veneva are even older.

        Blanka Vlasic, winner of back-to-back world junior titles in 2000 and 2002, was the flag bearer of an extremely talented generation. As an indication, she was present, along with Chicherova and Slesarenko, at the 2001 European junior championship, where no less than seven jumpers cleared 1.88 or higher.  The latter, became Olympic champion in Athens at age 22.  The following year, still younger, Chaunté Howard-Lowe (21) and Emma Green (20) grabbed a medal in Osaka.  The last but not the least member of this generation in making an impression in senior competition was Ariane Frederich, with her big breakthrough in 2008.  


2010 Asiad high jump medallists. From L to R: Nadia Dusanova, Svetlana Radzivil, Anna Ustinova and Zheng Xinjuan.
Photo: Getty Images
      http://oneclick.indiatimes.com/ 

       Amazingly, most of the successive junior hopes of the following years have not lived up to the expectations, once arrived to senior competition.  First of all, Ukrainian Iryna Kovalenko, world youth champion in 2003 and junior in 2004 with an excellent 1.93, was supposed to take over from the likes of Styopina, Palamar or Mikhalchenko, but she has not progressed over her teen records.  Two other classic countries in high jumping as Germany and Russia have also seen much talent wasted lately. Annett Engel, medallist in both youth and junior contests or Kimberly Jeb, the 2008 world junior champion, have not followed on Ariane Friedrich steps.  Meike Kröger too, who had cleared 2 meters two winters ago, is experiencing a big crisis of results lately. 
         On the other hand, Natalya Mamlina and Alexandra Shamsutdinova, current European junior and under-23 champions respectively, are nowhere to be seen. In a country with such tradition of high jumping as Russia is, absentees apart, only two athletes could claim a place for last year's European Championships: Svetlana Shkolina and Iryna Gordeyeva.  They have both reached 2 metres, but their results when it matters most can not be compared yet to Slesarenko's or Chicherova's. (1)

After Hestrie Cloete's retirement, there were some hope Anika Smit could continue her exploits. However, after winning the Commonwealth Games in 2006, she is having difficulties now to do 1.90.  Nigerian Doreen Amata is not close either to her promising 2008 performances. 



The 2010 Commonwealth Games podium. From L to R: Levern Spencer,
Nicole Forrester and Sheree Francis.
Photo: Michael Steele/ Getty Images AsiaPac    http://www.zimbio.com/



Nevertheless, the Asian high jumpers who won no less than three medals at Beijing 2006 World juniors have steadily improved. Zheng Xingjuan, who had already jumped 1.92 as a sixteen year-old in 2005, made at last her breakthrough four years afterwards, flying to 1.95 on occasion of the National Games and reaching the final of Doha’s world indoors  the following winter.  The young Central Asian jumpers from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, who started to be known internationally because of their “collective” and highly doubtful 1.98 Area Record in the Olympic year (broken in 2009 by the more experienced Marina Aitova), have found lately some confidence and consistency, as well. 

 Yekaterina Yevseyeva was the first of them in making an impact, clearing a valid 1.95 in 2008, but she missed most of 2010 season.  Dusanova, as Zheng did, qualified for Doha’s final.  Last year she went over 1.93 or higher in no less than four occasions.  This solidity makes her the most likely candidate of the group for reaching Daegu’s final. Svetlana Radzivil, finally, after several years of not progressing, cleared, when it mattered most, a massive 1.95 new PB in Guagzhou, beating her compatriot Dusanova and local hot favourite Zheng Xingjuan, as she had done in the World Juniors, four years before. The Asian Games were one of the most thrilling high jump competitions of the season, showing the nice improvement in the discipline in that continent.     
    

Alessia Trost, the 2009 world youth champion
http://www.fidal.it/

 Central America is also trying to achieve big things soon, after almost 20 years of no significative succes.  Saint Lucia's Levern Spencer, now 26, is in her best moment ever.  With seven jumps over 1.94 or higher to her credit during last season, including an extraordinary 1.98 national record, she should feel able of shining in something more than domestic contests.  Spencer won the last editions of Central American and Caribbean Games and Championships, but was beating in the Commonwealth by veteran Canadian Nicole Forrester and Jamaican Sheree Francis, another rising athlete in the area.  Watch out also for youngster Lesyanís Mayor of Cuba, who would like to emulate her illustrious compatriots Ioamnet Quintero and Silvia Costa. 

                 

Elena Vallortigara, the new Italian junior record holder.
  http://www.atleticaweek.it/ 

 
            Fortunately for the future of the event, the young high jumpers who participated in the global contests of Bressanone, Moncton and Singapore seem talented and ambitious enough to stop this dreadful succession of failed generations.  The biggest hope is of course Mariya Kuchina.  The young Russian, finished second at 2009 Bressanone world youth championships, climbed one step on the podium to win the inaugural youth Olympic Games the following year, and this season has already improved her PB to 1.97 at age 18, the best record ever indoor for a junior athlete.  Not a senior until 2013, she has plenty of time to improve the more than 20 years old junior record, shared by Olga Turtchak and Heike Balck.  Doing so, she would make good her first coach predictions about her talent, before sending her to the one who helped Slearenko become Olympic champion. (2)  Kuchina was already selected for last month European indoors and could claim a spot for London Olympic team, which should be a fearsome one again, once Chicherova, a medallist in the last three global championship, will be back.

       However, the country with highest expectations about its teenage jumpers is not Russia but Italy. In 2007, Antonietta Di Martino became only the second Italian women over 2 metres, 29 years after Sara Simeoni’s world record.  Yet, a nation who had endured an almost three decades drought in a favourite event, might have four elite representatives soon.  Di Martino seems stronger than ever after beating her own indoor record and winning her first international title in Paris this winter.  Raffaella Lamera improved to 1.95 last year, and there are too youngsters Elena Vallortigara and Alessia Trost.  The former has won back-to-back bronze medals in both youth and junior global contests, while the latter won in Bressanone, ahead of Mariya Kuchina, and finished second in Singapore, after the same Russian athlete.
 

Danielle Frenkel of Israel, from dancer to future high jump star.

Photo: Getty Images

http://www.maivoo.com/

      Vallortigara shared Moncton’s podium with Marija Vukovic and Airine Palsyté.  The former gave her country, Montenegro, its first global gold medal ever in any sport. It was a grateful surprise for her and everybody, though she had already obtained a silver medal the precedent year at the European juniors. Undoubtedly, much more is on the way.  Lithuanian Palsyté, is another rising star, quite solid in every junior contest she has been competing and already over 1.92.

Marija Vukovic, the current world junior champion.
Photo: Getty Images/  http://www.iaaf.org/

     We have said before 2011 winter season was a lacklustre one.  Indeed it was: before the Indoor Championships only six women had jumped more than 1.92 and, in Paris final, only three did it; not even Shkolina.  However, if we analyze the season from the point of view of the performances of the new kids in town, the conclusions can not be more optimistic.  No less than nine jumpers born in the 1990s cleared 1.90 or higher. Some of them and some just a bit older got to jump over 1.92 in Paris, where it mattered, trying to make the final, achieving new PBs. (Ebba Jungmark, Danielle Frenkel, Oksana Okuneva, Grete Udras and Tonje Angelsen).  Jungmark and Frenkel big breakthroughs in the European indoors could be noted as importants for the future of the event as the 1.97 world junior best, achieved by Kuchina a couple of weeks before.   
         Ebba Jungmark made in Paris the competition of her life, improving her best in both qualifying round and the final.  With good results as a junior, despite no significant victories, she was once pointed as the successor of ex-world champion Kajsa Bergqvist.  Yet, after some disappointing seasons in the senior field, that idea had been long forgotten. Her stage in the United States had proved wrong and she returned home to start anew.  Now, things are working out again and with the boost of confidence of her bronze medal and her 1.96 P.B., she will try to be ready for new challenges, in this rebirth of Swedish high jumping, which started with the silver medal and 2.01 PB achieved by Emma Green at Barcelona European championships last year. (3)  
         Danielle Frenkel case is an amazing and intriguing one. (4) The Israeli new sensation, wanted to become a professional dancer but, after many efforts, her coach convinced her to practice high jumping in full time.  He must spotted true talent in her.  For instance, in her first serious year in athletics, she already reached the final in Barcelona.  This winter season, coming with just a 1.92 best, she jumped in Paris, first over her PB, then over the qualification standard of 1.94, making the final, where she finished in an excellent fourth place.  From now on she can only improve.

Grete Udras, one of the best high jumpers from Baltic Sea.
Photo: Getty Images
http://www.daylife.com/photo/0fml1bbahU34A?__site=daylife&q=Estonia

         
         Oksana Okuneva was the third girl in Paris final, thanks to complete her best competition ever.  Maybe, Ukraine has finally found the top high jumper they needed, to follow on their rich tradition.  Also Romania hopes Esthera Petre will become a star of the discipline.  Even Croatia has found someone to emulate Blanka Vlasic: the young Ana Simic.

          However, the deepest field among the new generations seems to come now not from Central and Eastern European regions but from Baltic and Scandinavian lands.  Norway, which once had a world champion like Hanne Haugland, came to Paris with a full team: Tonje Angelsen, Stine Kufaas and Oyunn Grindem.  Estonia counts with Grete Udras and Anna Iljustsenko. Sweden with Emma Green and Ebba Jungmark. Lithuania with Airine Palsyté...

The United States have many new names too for the years to come.  Their main hope, Destinee Hooker, the NCAA record holder, was lost to volleyball, but they now expect a lot from some other new findings. Interestingly, the last two NCAA indoor champions, Liz Patterson and Brigetta Barrett, belong both to the same Arizona University. The current collegian outdoor titleholder is Amber Kaufman.  Barrett has a similar profile to Danielle Frenkel’s, because she is also a dancing amateur… and a singer, an actress and a poet!  She is studying Theatre Arts and hopes her athletics victories will help to promote her future career as entertainer. (5)   

       Therefore we are living a transitional phase in the history of high jumping, which follows some of the best years ever in the discipline.  Although the standards have gone down, many encouraging performances among the rising athletes suggest we just need to wait a couple of seasons, so they can close the gap with the current top jumpers, and be ready to bring a new golden era for the event.

Ebba Jungmark, the new hope of Swedish high jumping.
http://sverigesradio.se/

(1) http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=58969.html

(2) http://www.european-athletics.org/21th-european-athletics-junior-championships/a-new-city-a-new-coach-for-kuchina.html

(3) http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=179&artikel=4386067

(4) http://www.european-athletics.org/general-news/frenkel-aims-to-put-israeli-athletics-back-on-the-map.html
(5) http://wildcat.arizona.edu/sports/using-track-as-her-stage-1.2186878

After Commonwealth and Asian Games breakthrough, Indian Athletes aim for Olympic Medals

Preeja Sreedharan kisses Kavita Raut after their extraordinary 1-2
 at the Asian Games 10.000 meters final.
(Adam Pretty/ Getty Images AsiaPac)
http://www.zimbio.com/

      Recently (1), Indian long distance runner Kavita Raut has made one of the bravest statements we have heard in the athletics world for a long time: along with mate Preeja Sreedharan, she feels capable of breaking the 30 minutes barrier in the 10.000, in order to win a medal at next year’s London Olympics.

       Pushed to the limits first by Lornah Kiplagat and, in the crucial stages of the race by Elvan Abeylegesse, Tirunesh Dibaba had to run an almost unbelievable Olympic record of 29:54.66 to beat the field and achieve her Olympic dream in Beijing. It was the second time ever a female athlete had dipped under 30 minutes, after Wang Junxia from China did it at the National Games in 1993. Abeylegesse, the silver medalist, also achieved this feat, setting a new European best.  Two more women have joined this exclusive club since:  Meselech Melkamu, who improved Dibaba’s brand African record, after running 29:53.80 in Utretch in 2009, and Meseret Defar.  Long distance legends as Derartu Tulu, Paula Radcliffe, Fernanda Ribeiro or Ingrid Kristiansen could never manage those magical figures. Tirunesh Dibaba is precisely cited by the Indian athletes as her inspiration for running.  Yet, now they look forward to competing against Ethiopian and Kenyan runners in order to beat them. 
        Raut is not the only one Indian athlete feeling optimistic about her chances for the Olympics.  Akkunji Chidananda Ashwini, one of the leading heroines of the marvelous Indian team who shocked the athletics world at last Commonwealth Games and Asiad, claimed last December she expects to improve enough in her technique to be in contention for the gold medal in London in the 400 meters hurdles event.(2) Besides, along with her 4x400 mates, Mandeep and Manjeet Kaur and Sini Jose, promise to work hard to shorten the distances between the Indian relay and the best teams in the world such the American, Jamaican or Russian.  She believes they have a good chance of climbing on the podium, provided everyone in the “awesome foursome” can cut down her PB to a timing under 51 seconds. (3)

Dreaming is free of course but the question is as follows: 

How seriously can be taken Kavita Raut and A.C. Ashwini self-assertions?  

      

               Apart from Field Hockey, India’s curriculum in the Olympic Games is not really what you can expect from a nation, which population surpass one billion people.  Since their independence in 1947 they have not won a single track and field medal. Their only one at global level was obtained by long jumper Anju Bobby George at 2003 Paris World Championships.  However, India happened to be host of the XIX Commonwealth Games and, suddenly, their athletes, who have carried for decades a deserved reputation of complexed underperformers where it really mattered, have radically transformed themselves  into fearsome opponents no matter who the enemy is. The 101 medals overall tally, including 38 gold, are eloquent enough. In athletics, only surpassed by shooting and wrestling in results, a 52 years drought was broken by no less than a clean sweep of the medals in the female discus throw, followed by the groundbreaking exploit of the four girls who ran the 4x400 meters relay. 
       The Asian Games, held in Guangzhou one month afterwards, ratified and increased the sensational impression the Indian athletes had produced between amateurs and specialists. Three out of four individual champions demolished their previous PBs to beat effortlessly an on paper superior field, and the relay closed again in apotheosis a brilliant collective performance, which placed them ahead a powerhouse as Japan in the final ranking. All the athletics world was wondering about the secret of this amazing progression.  "Systematic training, hard work and strong support from the government", stated the brand 10.000 meters Asian champion Preeja Sreedharan. (4)

Sudha Singh, in fierce battle against Chinese Yuan Jin for the 2010 Asiad gold
(Mark Dadswell/ Getty Images AsiaPac)
http://www.zimbio.com/

       Certainly, no one can blame Indian athletes about their effort and sacrifice.  In a preparation based in exhausting long stages at training camps, Ashwini said she could not meet her family for one year, Raut for two and so on. Commonwealth champion Krishna Poonia had even to be far away from her 8-year old son for a long period.  The discus thrower had to pay by her own means her training in the US since the authorities did not approve her petition of assistance. This negative fact, not at all the only one, calls into question the strong supportive government actions which Preeja talked about.

At least, the AFI (Athletics Federation of India) had finally agreed to engage some prestigious foreign coaches as Belarus Nikolai Snesarev and Ukrainian Yuri Ogorodnik.  Much of the credit for recent Indian Athletics victories must be given to them.  Snesarev, a former assistant in the Soviet Union national team for more than ten years, arrived in 2005 to take in charge Indian athletes. Also a man with good knowledge in therapeutic massage and sports medicine, his plight to improve the chaotic and deficient conditions in which his trainees have to function has not really work out, but his committed dedication and tough discipline have contributed enormously to the steady progress of national middle and long-distance standards. Yet, the Indian performances at Osaka and Beijing Olympics were still poor, but he had stated time was needed for a visible improvement. Now, six years after his first  lessons, the time to reap the fruits has come. (5)   
Among the three Indian long distance medallists at 2010 Asian Games, Preeja Sreedharan was the one who started working with Snesarev since the very beginning.  In her first international outing she already had established a new 10.000 meters national record of 33:48.45 for fifth place in the 2006 Doha Asian Games.  Then, she improved to 32:04.41 in 2008, and competed in the Olympic Games, where she finished 25th.  Kavita Raut, followed on her steps, winning medals at the 2009 Asian championships in both 5000 and 10.000 distances, before grabbing a remarkable bronze in the Commonwealth Games, after experienced Kenyans Momanyi and Changeiywo, while Sreedharan finished 7th.  Then came the exciting race where they revealed themselves to the world. 

Harwant Kaur, Krishna Poonia and Seema Antil,
on the podium, after completing a clean sweep of the discus throw medals
for India at the Commonwealth Games.
http://www.najbrzazarada.ws/

In a superbly executed strategy, really a Tirunesh-Dibaba-like one, Preeja and Kavita left the Japanese and Bahraini athletes lead. Running effortlessly in the bottom they always seemed, though, in full control of the race, and this impression was confirmed when, with just 200 meters remaining, Sreedharan started a long sprint which ended in a devastating kick, romping home unopposed in 31:50.47, with Raut in her wake.  they were too much to handle for the likes of Kayoko Fukushi, 9th the year before at Berlin Worlds, Shitaye Eshete, Bahrain biggests hope for the future and a creditable 12th at last week World Cross Country  Championship, and current world marathon champion Xue Bai.  The two Indian runners looked so fresh and confident all over the race, she probably could have won the same had they been forced to run one minute faster. In the 5000 they proved again their gigantic progression, being able to hold a 15:15 pace, which meant snatching half a minute from their previous PBs.  However, this time around, they surged too late and Mimi Belete had the better of both of them. 
   Althought not as impressive in the Asiad as her 10.000 meters mates, steeplechaser Sudha Sing has earned a solid reputation, with her victory over consolidated specialists Yuan Jin and Minori Hayaraki, climbing one step on the podium from her first international outing, last year on occcasion of the Asian Championships, held in the same venue. Besides, she placed herself a splendid 5th in the Commonwealth Games, in front of a strong field. Next year, she might perfectly be in contention for a place of finalist in Daegu.  Sreedharan and Raut, after their high quality showing, will try to challenge the best, but they will need much more international exposure out of Asia if they expect to succeed in the next World Championships and Olympic Games.

Vikas Gowda, the discus throw  silver medallist at the Commonwealth Games
http://sports.in.msn.com/ 

       Yuri Ogorodnik, also an erstwhile Soviet Union coach, is the main responsible of the extraordinary relay team who made the highlights in both Commonwealth Games and Asiad.  He has been working for Indian Athletics for about a decade and his trainees praise his knowledge and ability to motivate the runners. Ashwini Akkunji has pointed to him as the main responsible of her progression. The Karnataka girl, almost an unknown athlete until last year, made a huge improvement in the Ukrainian training camp, where the group of quarter milers prepared the Commonwealth Games, and so gained her place for the 4x400.  In Delhi, she ran an astonishing third leg, catching the Nigerian athlete that had an advantage of more than 20 meters, and delivered the baton ahead to Mandeep Kaur, who could hold the 400 meters hurdles champion of the Games, Muizat Ajoke Odumosu to win the race. In Guangzhou, Ashwini also ran the decisive leg and got a second gold medal in the 400 hurdles, a discipline she had only entered some months before.  Despite her poor technique between and over the hurdles, she covered the distance, thanks to her powerful long strides, in a good timing of 56.15, not very far away from legend P.T. Usha's 55.42 national record.  This uncut diamond, is in her very beginning and has still plenty of room to improve.  Well oriented, she might become the best Indian athlete ever. 
       Her mates in the relay, thanks to the excellent direction, enjoyable team spirit and the huge boost of confidence after their feats, should all got PBs next year.  As an indication, their timings in the Commonwealth Games were: Manjeet Kaur 52.86, Sini Jose 52.09,  Ashwini Akkunji 51.67 and Mandeep Kaur 51.15.  Manjeet's 51.05 national record is likely to be beaten by Mandeep or Ashwini soon.  The record holder is the only athlete among the team, who is not progressing (the last time she dipped under 52 seconds was in 2005) but her experience is a bonus.  Althought the 3:26.89 Indian record by Manjeet, Chitra Soman, Rajwinder Kaur and K.M. Beenamol back in 2004 Athens Olympic Games is affordable, they will need at least a 10 seconds improvement to be in contention for the medals in London.  Almost a miracle is needed, but all the AFI dedication and investments are going to be fully focused in the quarter milers chances, so who knows...
  

A.C. Ashwini takes the baton from Sini Jose to kill the race in the 4x400 Delhi Commonwealth final
(Michael Steele/ Getty Images AsiaPac)
http://www.zimbio.com/

       In spite of her triple medal at the Commonwealth contest, the female discus throwers are not expected to shine in London Olympics.  In the past, neither Poonia nor Harwant Kaur lived up to the expectations in major championships, when the discus discipline was in its biggest crisis ever. Antil could not even qualify for Beijing. Now, a young generation has renovated at last the event and the standards are getting up again, making much more difficult than before the way to the medals.  Sandra Perkovic, Nadine Muller, Yarelis Barrios, Dani Samuels or the top Chinese are out of reach for the Indian discus throwers, as the Asian Games contest proved. Nor seem to be consistent enough Prajusha or Mayookha Johnny to take the relay from Anju Bobby George, and the Combined Events are languishing lately.  
       Among the men, veteran Joseph Abraham did his job right at the Asian Games and, as consequence, beat the Japanese favourites, who underperformed.  However to ask him for more than a semifinal in Daegu and London seems too much. Asian Championship winner last year, Om Prakash Singh, a 20 meters shot putter, could not grab any medal this time; neither did new hope, Saurabh Vij.  On the other hand, Discus thrower Vikas Gowda, after many dissapointing finals, showed consistency in 2010 Commonwealth and Asiad, delivering in both contests a good 63 meters throw for second and third respectively. He will try to keep the streak.  Also recovering from some horrible years is triple jumper Renjith Maheswary, back to 17 meters, and bronze medallist at the Commonwealth with a new national record.  He is right now the most likely male Indian candidate for an Olympic final. Watch out also for the progression of the 4x100 relay, third at the Commonwealth with a national record, and one of the five Asian teams, who have already achieved the Daegu standard.

P.T. Usha with her protegee Tintu Luka at the Athletics school she owns
 in Koyilandi  (Photo H. Vibhu)
http://www.thehindu.com/sport/athletics/article440512.ece?viewImage=1

        The great Pillavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha would not forbid us if we forgot the apple of her eye, the brave Tintu Luka.  Usha can easily be considered the best Indian athlete all time.  She is claimed to have won more than 100 international titles, including four 400 meters straight titles in the Asian Games and a record five golden medals and  one bronze at 1985 Jakarta Asian Championships.  Yet, she is best remembered  for the bronze medal she missed by just one hundredth of a second at 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games in the 400 hurdles event.   
         The same sheer determination which brought her to the top in her career as athlete is present now in her new task of manager and coach in the Athletics school she had  created in 2002 in Koyilandi, Kerala. With the intention of producing the Olympic champion she could never be, Usha is nurturing the new talents from her region, with little help from government and private foundations, finding the same obstacles she had to overcome as a young runner. (6) Yet, one of her protegees is already making an impact in the international scene:  Tintu Luka, who she still remembers coming for the first time to her school "a fragile and undernourished girl, yet aggressive." (7) The new pupil resulted as hard-worker and determined as her coach was, and steadily became the best 800 runner of the country, as she overshadowed Sinimole Paulose. 
      This one, from Snesarev stable, was the Indian middle distance reference between 2006 and 2008, along with sadly untimely retired Pinki Parmanik, with several medals at Asian level.  She had won the winter Area championships in both 800 and 1500 distances and thus made the standard for Doha world indoors, but was not selected, shifted instead to a regional championship.  During the summer, Paulose could not qualify for Beijing and from then on she is not delivering what was expected from her.  Luka will be perhaps luckier. Usha got her to compete in several European meetings last year and she did it in a bold front running.  In the second of them, the Continental Cup, she finished in a well-deserved 5th place,  timing 1:59.17, to beat Shiny Wilson's old national record. 

Joseph Abraham, the 400 hurdles Asian gold medallist
(Adrian Dennis/ AFP/ Getty Images)
http://www.sportskeeda.com/

          A hot favourite for medals in both Commonwealth and Asiad, she fell a little short, paying her suicidal pace (57.49 mid race) in the end, to finish only sixth in Delhi; while in Guangzhou (a bit slower, 57.82) she grabbed a bitter-sweet bronze medal.  As a comparison, Semenya was timed in a 56.86 first lap at Berlin World Champinships, to achieve an ultra fast 1:55.45. Indeed, the day Tintu Luka will be able to control her explosiveness and maintain the pace until the end, she will be no more "the rabbit" of the race but a terrific outsider.  
      P.T. Usha's lifetime experience is the most evident example that succes in athletics has always been achieved in India thanks to the tenacity of some commited individuals, athletes and coaches.  Furthermore, the same lacks have been blocking athletics progress for decades, due to the government and sportives authorities weak dedication to overcome them. (8) Usha or Snesarev athletes are still forced to train on muddy tracks. There are very few sport nutritionists or sport doctors availaible. Coaches are not specialised enough and take wrong decisions (Usha makes them responsible of not winning an Olympic medal, because they discovered too late her athletics byotipe fitted best for the 400 hurdles). The top athletes are rarely sent out of Asia to face the best world specialists and they do it for the first time at World championships and Olympics level, where they pay the price of this wrong. Meanwhile, their agenda is filled with uncountable and strenous local meetigs they can not avoid. Finally, improvisation dominates it all.
        Poverty is cited as main reason for these pitiful conditions in which coaches and athletes must work.  Yes, we know Kavita Raut, as a child, had to walk 2 kilometers out of her village to fetch water for her family  and she just entered athletics "to get to see big cities", before setting more ambitious targets as "beating Tirunesh Dibaba at the Olympics". (1) And we also know the amazing story of A.C. Ashwini's parents, who could not see her daughter victory at the Commonwealth, because they were too busy trying to keep their house safe from flood danger.  But there is not poverty in Ethiopia and Kenya?  However, in those African countries, athletics is the number one sport and, in India government, private sponsors and audience seem to just worry about cricket. (9) Only the railway, police and army are commited in investing some money in our sport, through employment.  No wonder many talented runners quit athletics once they have secured a job in one of the three institutions above. (8)   

Indian athletes training in Kochi under the supervision of Nikolai Snesarev
www.thehindu.com        Photo: file

       And, now that the athletes have become some sort of national heroes after their exploits last year, are things up for a change?
      Ashwini Akkunji,  is used to interviews lately.  In one of them, she hurried in  pointing at the necessity of improving sports infraestructure in the country, comparing its precarity with the excellent equipment and facilities China could provide for the Indian athletes training in Guangzhou, prior to competing in the Asian Games.(10) She also said how important would be for them to participate in global meetings as the Diamond League ones, in order to acquire experience and competitiveness for the Olympics.  On the other hand, Sudha Singh profited her chance to chat with Congress President Sonia Ghandi to promote Nikolai Snesarev renewal as national coach. 
             Just a couple of months afterwards, Ashwini is again in the spotlight but this time is to talk about her big troubles to find sponsorship for her meetings abroad next summer. Also Sudha Sing says she is not competing anymore for Uttar Pradesh because she has been ignored by the local authorities and "enough is enough", in similar terms to P.T. Usha last year, when she complained about not being invited to assist to the Commonwealth Games.  Besides, there is the ridiculous situation of the athletes, already concentrated in their training camp of Patiala, waiting for more than one month for their foreign coaches, who also are in their countries waiting for a new contract and new visa. (11)
        Then, in the middle of this craziness, the sports minister Ajay Maken, unveils an ambitious program to bring more medals in the Olympic Games called "Operation excellence London 2012". (12)  The efforts will be focused in 16 disciplines, among them Athletics.  Travels to compete abroad will be scheduled and, of course, foreign coaches Nikolai Snesarev and Yuri Ogorodnik, who helped India to achieve historic performances at the Commonwealth Games will be engaged again...
             

(1) http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Rivals-Kavita--Preeja--together-for-first-athletics-Olympic-medal/753181/
(2) http://www.keralanext.com/news/2010/12/24/article147.asp
(3) http://www.allvoices.com/news/7715069-awesome-foursome-track-queens-make-the-best-team

(4) http://www.deccanherald.com/content/116268/breaking-barriers.html
(5) http://www.hinduonnet.com/tss/tss3113/stories/20080329502401900.htm
(6) http://www.deccanherald.com/content/85329/running-much-easier-managing-academy.html
(7) http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?262783
(8) http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/09/26/stories/2004092600070400.htm
(9) http://www.rediff.com/sports/column/column-rajeev-srinivasan-celebrates-indias-asian-games-glory/20101202.htm
(10) http://www.coastaldigest.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17819:india-needs-to-improve-sports-infrastructure-exclusive-interview-with-ashwini-shetty&catid=58:exclusive-news&Itemid=57
(11) http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/times-of-india-the/mi_8012/is_20110303/sign-foreign-coaches-athletics-camp/ai_n57011845/

(12) http://www.zeenews.com/news691030.html
 http://www.cwgdelhi2010.org/

 http://www.gz2010.cn/en/

Any alternative to Isinbayeva?

     

“I know that if I do my best, it is impossible for someone to beat me. The question now is only if I can keep improving. There is no chance for anybody. Sorry,” she said, with a smile, “but that’s the way it is.”

Yelena Isinbayeva, interview prior to 2007 Osaka World Championships (1)

 

Anna Rogowska, the 2009 World Champion.
Photo: PRZEMYSLAW SZYSZKA/SE/EAST NEWS
http://sport.gadu-gadu.pl/5580253629665609028/ruszaja-halowe-mistrzostwa-europy1-rogowska-faworytka1

                     As bold as it might sound, this statement of the great champion Yelena Isinbayeva could not be more accurate about the situation in nowadays women’s pole vault. In a highly emotive 2004, Svetlana Feofanova, at that moment the number one of the discipline,  and rising star Isinbayeva took turns in beating indoor and out world records, until the decisive Athens Olympic Games.  There, Yelena, who was really close of gaining just bronze, after facing a dramatic last try with the bar raised at 4.80, finished up with a 4.91 world record and a shocking victory over her compatriot. (2)

            From then on, there was no emotion anymore.  Isinbayeva was soon over 5 meters. Meanwhile, Feofanova, mentally and physically exhausted, missed almost the entire 2005 season, and when she came back she kept struggling for years against injuries and the bang over her confidence, which caused the now overwhelming superiority of her archrival in every competition. Svetlana was still consistent but remained in the 4.70-4.75 heights. (3) Polish Monika Pyrek and Svetlana Rogowska could not improve further, either.  As a result, Isinbayeva won easily every major competition until Beijing Olympics and obtained no less than 27 world records.  Among the newcomers, only Jennifer Stuczynski-Suhr put some pressure, reaching 4.92 in 2008.
  

Silke Spigelburg, one of the most consistent pole
vaulters right now.
http://www.rheinruhr-foto.de/

       And then, suddenly, a totally unexpected first big failure: Yelena Isinbayeva does not height at 2009 Berlin World Championships.  Anna Rogowska, after 3 low key seasons is back to form and wins brilliantly over compatriot Pyrek and American Chelsea Johnson.  Yet, even the legend Sergey Bubka did not make any valid jump once at Barcelona Olympics, and the Russian star made amends with her 27^th world record some days afterwards.  Unfortunately, for the second big championship in a row, Isinbayeva’s performance was again far from satisfying and she could only finish 4^th at Doha’s World Indoors.  On the other hand, her training partner, Brazilian Fabiana Murer showed her amazing progression, clearing 4.80 for gold medal, the same height than a reborn Feofanova.  Now it is Isinbayeva who falls into the bottom and, with her confidence lost altogether, decides to take a long rest.  Rogowska is also absent by injury and Feofanova takes every major competition at stake during the summer: European Cup, European Championships and Continental Cup.   Fabiana Murer wins the inaugural Diamond League and Silke Spiegelburg continues improving.  No big marks anyway. (4) 



(1) http://osaka2007.iaaf.org/news/kind=2/newsid=40384.html

(2)http://www.iaaf.org/history/OLY/season=2004/eventCode=3201/news/kind=100/newsid=27143.html

(3) http://www.iaaf.org/news/athletes/newsid=45591.html
(4) http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=58969.html

 (5) http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=102/newsid=59491.html 



Liz Parnov: 4.40 at 15 years of age (Mark Nolan/ Getty Images Asia Pac)
http://www.zimbio.com/

 

Jirina Ptacnikova, the Czech school (Ian Walton/ Getty Images Europe)
http://www.zimbio.com/

       

       Isinbayeva’s return for the 2011 indoor season has been in style with two triumphs, clearing 4.81 and 4.85 respectively but it has not offer any hint about whether or not she has been able to get over her troubles in the last two seasons, because she finally missed the right occasion to check it: Paris European indoors.  In the end, the search of a way-out of her crisis have brought Yelena to another transcendental change: to return back to her former coach Yevgeniy Trofimov, which also means give up Formia facilities and return home.  Emotional and technical reasons merge in this decision, given a second chance to a professional relationship which carried remarkable sportive achievements but finished splitting up in the personal. Will this renovated athlete be back to her former astounding performances?  It seems very possible; but will she face a most challenging opposition than in the past?  It is very likely too.  This time she will be motivated enough for a bunch of well-known and newly-arrived pole vaulters, strong enough to push her to the limits.  

         Recently, World and Olympic champion Steve Hooker in his IAAF Online diaries has made some interesting observations about his counterparts in sport:  “The general level of the women’s event is improving.  We will probably see four or five women at 4.80 regularly, which we have never really seen before.” (5)   

 

Injuries left behind, 2011 could be Jenn Suhr's year
(Jonathan Ferry/ Getty Images)
http://trackandfield.about.com/



         Indeed, this indoor season results in pole vault invite to optimism.  First of all, Anna Rogowska has proved her triumph in the 2009 World Championship was no fluke, adding a second major title to her curriculum.  In Paris European indoors, Silke Spiegelburg’s jump over 4.75 pushed her to clear 4.85, a new overall national record and the best mark for a gold medal in a not-won-by-Isinbayeva major championship. While Monika Pyrek, who used to be the most solid Polish performer in big occasions, is having some difficult years, Rogowska has reached her maturity as athlete and is in her best form ever.

 She may well be the second woman over 5 meters, six years after Isinbayeva achieved it for the first time. 

Fabiana Murer, the world indoor champion
(Fabrice Coffrini/ AFP/ Getty Images)
http://infosurhoy.com/

 

 Nevertheless, there are at least two other candidates to join soon that one-person club:  Jenn Suhr and Fabiana Murer.  The Brazilian, not being scheduled a global championship, have not jumped much this indoor season, but by the way she won in Doha and her consistency on the subsequent summer competitions we can expect great things from her. Despite being her last two seasons cut by injuries, Suhr still managed marks over 4.80, and this winter has set a new area record of 4.86, becoming the second performer ever indoors. In her last appearance in a major championship, Beijing Olympic Games, she obtained the silver medal, but this time around, once totally fitted, she would not mind about climbing one step on the podium in Daegu.  It will be interesting as well to watch if her compatriotat Chelsea Johnson can repeat there her inspired Berlin's performance.
About Feofanova’s chances there are mixed feelings.  Last year, after her excellent performance in Doha, she said she was ready to improve at last on her back-in-2004 personal best of 4.88.  Notwithstanding, this winter she has not jumped higher than 4.70 and renounced to participate in the European indoor Championship.  During the Stockholm XL Galan, in the same meeting where the Swede teenage Bengtsson set her records, after one of her failed attempts at 4.80, she sat and bowed her head on despair.  This summer will be crucial for her future. 

 

Elizaveta Ryzih, one of the big hopes of German pole vaulting
Photo: Getty Images
http://www.allaboutworldsports.blogspot.com/

        Amazingly, there are no new names among Russian top pole vaulters, once Volik and Kolesova have not lived up so far to the expectations they had created as juniors, and, without Isinbayeva and Feofanova, only Aleksandra Kiryashova could claim a place for the European indoors team. Germany has taken the relay as number one nation in the event, but curiously some of their best members are born in Russia: Kristina Gadschiew, the bronze medallist in Paris, and Lisa Ryzih, also spelled Ryjikh and in many other ways.  This one is one of the most intriguing athletes of the moment.  Daughter of one of the best pole vault coaches in the world and younger sister of Nastja Reiberger, the 1999 World indoor champion in the event, she became world youth and junior champion in 2003 and 2004 respectively as precocious as 14 and 15 years old.  Last year she obtained her first senior medals: bronze in Barcelona and silver at Split Continental Cup.
However, the best German option is always Silke Spiegelburg.  She was already a finalist in Athens Olympic Games at age 18 and has never failed in the big challenges.  Annika Becker is still waiting for her to beat her 4.77 overall national record, but she has jumped so many times in the 4.65-4.75 range and shows such security on those heights, so a big breakthrough is likely to happen pretty soon.  Now 25, Spiegelburg is the current silver European medallist both outdoors and indoors and much more is on the way.   
Silke Spiegelburg was one of the nine pole vaulters in the top-25 ranking lists of the 2011 season who established a new indoor national record.  A quite respectable statistic.  The most remarkable of them all were of course the 4 World Junior ones, which young Swedish sensation Angelica Bengtsson achieved in two days time, until a new best of 4.63;  no less than 15 centimeters over the former record . http://moti-athletics-pv-w.blogspot.com/2011/02/prueba-pv-women.html
Also noteworthy is how many athletes 23 years old or younger are  making the lists, in plain contrast with  most of the junior hopes of the precedent generation, who failed to arrive to the elite.  Last year bronze medallist at Moncton World Junior championships, British Holly Bleasdale has already reached 4.50 in her first year as a senior, same register as Malin Dalhström, another young Swedish revelation.  On the other hand, Slovenian Tina Sutej, who is a biology student at Arkansas University, has set a new collegiate  indoor record of 4.54 this same year. Unbeaten all over the winter, she ended up her season on a high note with her triumph at the NCAA championships, thus succeeding US hope Kylie Hutson, who had won four titles in a row.  

 

Li Caixia, the Asian Champion
(Mark Dadswell/Getty Images Asia Pac)
http://www.zimbio.com/

             

Minna Nikkanen, four national records in one championship
(Photo: Jussi Nikari)
http://www.kainuunsanomat.fi/



       

 Neither Bengtsson nor Dahlström nor Bleasdale could qualify for the final in their first major senior championship, paying their lack of experience as it happened as well to Mariya Kuchina in the high jump event.  Only Jodie Williams, among this generation of young prodigees, achieved succes in Paris, thanks to an excellent 4th place in the 60 meters race.  Anyway, even Romanian hammer thrower Bianca Perie, who won no less than 6 major titles during youth and junior ages, needed three attemps to make her first final in senior categorie.

Minna Nikkanen performance at the European championships was, though, a groundbreaking one. The Finnish, European junior champion in 2007, had shown little progression in three years as a senior (from 4.35 to only 4.46).  Yet, in Paris, maybe inspired by Angelica Bengtsson’s feat at the XL Galan, where she was competing too, she improved the indoor national record thrice in the qualification (4.45/ 4.50/ 4.55) and once again in the final (4.60), to end 4^th overall.  Nikkanen’s achievement was the most grateful surprise of the competition. Just one more step ahead and she would be on Daegu's medal picture.

Holly Bleasdale, the future of British pole vaulting
(Chris Trotman/ Getty Images North America)
http://www.zimbio.com/



      Among the finalists, two other athletes are worth of mention: Jirina Ptacnikova (5^th), a brand new top pole vaulter for a classic country in the discipline, the Czech Republic; and Nikolía Kiriakopoúlou, who have beaten the national Greek record, both indoor and out in the last 2 years. A second promising athlete of this country is Ekateríni Stefanídi, freshly minted silver medal at the NCAA championship, behind Tina Sutej. Their neighbours, Cyprus, expect Marianna Zachariadou to follow in the steps of Kyriakos Ioannou, one of the best high jumpers in the world right now.


Tina Sutej from Slovenia, the NCAA indoor record holder
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pcarbone/5194379850/

Chinese athletes were also expected to shine this winter, but nothing has really happened so far.  Lately, so many 18, 19 years old or even younger pole vaulters from this country after a couple of brilliant seasons have failed to improve further or even have returned back to 4.00/4.10 heights.As one of the pioneers in female vaulting, we hope there will be some Chinese athlete able to make the way to the elite, following the steps of Gao Shuying and others before her.  Caixia Li, winner of the last Asian Championships and Asian Games and 4^th placer at the Continental Cup, along with Ling Li, are their more solid options right now.   

The outdoor season is already up in some countries and early sensational results in pole vault have been achieved.  Cuba, always a powerhouse in field events, seem to have found future champions in the only discipline of jumping they do not have any tradition.  Yarisley Silva has cleared an extraordinary 4.55 national record and Dailis Caballero, in her wake, has made the A Daegu standard as well (4.51).  On the other hand, Australia had had some of the greatest pole vaulters ever; Women who set the basis for the sport back in the 1990s as Emma George and Tatyana Grigoryeva.  Alana Boyd, already over 4.60 in this early season, will try to emulate her illustrious predecessors.

Svetlana Feofanova, more than ten years among the best
(Mark Shearman/ Samsung Diamond League/ IAAF)
http://www.diamondleague.com/

A Grigoryeva's niece, Liz Parnov, born in 1994, flew last summer season to an astonishing height for her age as 4.40.  The Aussie, who finished second at the inaugural Youth Games in Singapore, behind Angelica Bengtsson can be compared with Lisa Ryzih, because of her precocity and also her background. As the German, Liz, whose father is Alex Parnov, one of the best coaches around in the discipline, is the youngest of a dinasty of pole vaulters with deep Russian roots. The elder sister, Vicky, was the world youth champion in 2007 and became in the same year in Osaka the youngest athlete ever to represent Australia at world championship level, at age 16.  However, she has not progressed since.
With so many outsiders, this summer season promise to be hottest than ever.  It will also be a key one for the future of the event, with the confrontation between the returning Isinbayeva and some of her rivals in the peak of their careers, with the addition of a new generation of pole vaulters extremely talented.  With everyone hopefully ready, for the first time since Beijing Olympics, it will be needed to jump really high to obtain any of the medals at Daegu World Championships.  Even Isinbayeva at her best cannot be sure of winning this time.  The emotion is back to the pole vault event:  Yelena Isinbayeva could perfectly, after her break, resume her stranglehold on the discipline.  Yet a radical change, the coronation of a new queen, are possible too. 

 

Yelena Isinbayeva will try this summer to become the undisputed number one again.
(Reuters/ Maya Suslin)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/25/2314077.htm?site=olympics/2008/athletes