Who is Elena Isinbaeva briefly. Who is Elena Isinbaeva’s husband?

Elena Gadzhievna Isinbaeva is an athlete specializing in pole vaulting. The gymnast’s impressive list of achievements includes three Olympic medals: gold at the 2004 and 2008 Games and bronze at the 2012 Olympics. She also became the world champion in outdoor competitions three times and indoors four times.

Throughout her career, she set 28 world records in women's pole vaulting. The last one – 5.06 m – is still not beaten. The World Academy of Sports Fame named Elena Isinbayeva “The Best Athlete on the Planet” in 2007 and 2009.

The athlete planned to retire after competing 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 big sports and took up social activities and raising children.

Childhood

Elena Isinbaeva's parents come 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, born on June 3, 1982, and her sister, the same age, Inna, were brought up in modesty and severity.

Since childhood, the sisters have been involved in gymnastics at the Volgograd Sports School No. 5. This was her mother’s wish: in her youth, Natalya played basketball, but she was unable to connect her life with sports: she failed the exams at the Institute of Physical Education.

Elena was 5 years old and Inna was 4 when they were first brought to a 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 most of the time in the USA.

In 1989, the girl was sent to a lyceum with a technical direction. In 1991, Isinbaeva began training with coach Alexander Lisovoy. At first he 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 achieved the title of CCM in artistic gymnastics.

From the sports school, Elena moved to the Olympic Reserve School, from where, at the age of 15, she was expelled with the mark “unpromising.” And again Lisovoy came to the rescue: having seen a pole vaulting performance on TV, he decided that it would be perfect for Isinbayeva, with her height and gymnastics training, to contact track and field coach Evgeniy 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, Isinbaeva trained until 2005 (and then from 2010 to 2013), receiving her first Olympic gold and winning 4 world championships. But the first serious victory of the jumper, who essentially 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 Athletics Championships (junior category) in Seville, increasing her result by 10 centimeters, thereby setting her first world record.

In 2000, Elena Isinbaeva became the World Junior Champion with a height of 4.20 meters. The year 2000 is also significant for Elena because 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 reach any heights.

In 2001, Elena took part in the European Junior Championships and again won with a score of 4.40 meters. Speaking in Berlin at the ISTAF International Festival, Isinbayeva again achieved a record height of 4.46 meters. Only in 2005 did the German Silke Spiegelburg beat these figures, taking 4.48 meters.

The best jumps of Elena Isinbaeva

In 2002, the European Championship brought Elena second place with a height of 4.55 meters. Isinbayeva lost the confrontation to her compatriot Svetlana Feofanova.

In 2003, Isinbayeva, with a height of 4.65 meters, again won gold at the European Championships 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 result of 4.82 meters. But the World Championships in Paris in the same 2003 added only bronze to her personal collection. The German Annike Becker won the gold, and Feofanova won the silver.

National 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” she deserved through her hard training.

In 2005, Isinbaeva 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 planned heights: warm-up, winning and record. Each jump has its own pole. The individuality of each lies in the color of the winding. The first jump with a warm-up height is the pink color of the wrapping. The second jump with the winning height is blue. And to set new records, Elena chose a golden color.

In 2005, the Atletissima 2005 Super Grand Prix tournament took place in Lausanne. Elena The height of the championship stood at 4.60 meters, taken by the American Stacey Dragila. Elena performed at the end: the warm-up height of 4.70 meters and the winning height of 4.93 meters were achieved flawlessly by her.

On July 22, 2005, a pole vaulter reached a height of 5 meters for the first time. Of course, it was Isinbayeva. After this, the athlete told reporters that five meters was the norm for her and the optimal training limit. Three weeks later, Elena increased her record by 1 centimeter during 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 Summer Olympic Games were held in Beijing. Isinbayeva won gold and raised the record bar to 5.05 meters.

World record of Elena Isinbaeva at the 2008 Olympics

Black line

In 2009, at the World Championships in Berlin, Elena was unable to achieve a single height in the final. Elena herself commented on her defeat with excessive self-confidence and a busy personal life, and maybe even a long stay in Monaco. Experts argued that Isinbayeva simply had no equal rivals left, and there was no one to spur her on to improve her own results.

Because of the defeat in Berlin, she drew conclusions for herself and decided to concentrate only on sports. And at the 10th international tournament “Zepter - Pole Stars” Elena set heights of 4.97 and 5.00 meters.

In 2010, the World Indoor Athletics Championships brought disappointment to Russian fans - Isinbayeva was defeated. She announced a break, suspending participation in any competitions. She did not give up social activities, serving as ambassador to Singapore at the 2010 Youth Olympics.

Isinbayeva’s return became known in December 2010. The 2011 Russian Winter tournament was the first after a year-long pause, and the height achieved was 4.81 meters - the best result of the season all over the world.

The 2011 World Championships did not bring the Russian athlete medals or great results, but by that time Elena had learned to “tolerate defeat” 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 m became only third, losing first and second places to American jumper Jennifer Sur (4.75) and Cuban Yarisley Silva (4.75).

However, Isinbayeva herself called third place a success, given the failures that have plagued her over the past three years. She took the bronze medal as a sign from above, motivating her not to leave after the Olympics in London, as Elena had originally planned.

After this, the 30-year-old athlete seriously thought about motherhood and decided to take a break from her career, or even call it a day. But when in August of the same year, at the World Championships held in Moscow, Elena won 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

Evgeniy Trofimov claimed that during training in the spring of 2013, his ward managed to reach a height of 5.11 meters and that in the future she would be able to reach 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 Isinbaeva, who during this time managed to give life to baby Eva, announced her return. “I love the sport so much that it’s impossible to just quit,” she said, noting that 2016 will undoubtedly be her last year in the sport.

But there was no beautiful ending. In fact, Elena’s last competition was the Russian Championship in Cheboksary, where the athlete demonstrated 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 any claims against Elena. Only Daria Klishina was allowed to represent Russian track and field 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 its attitude at least in relation to her.

Those who win the Rio Olympics will always be number two, in my absence in Rio; whoever wins will be second place.

But at the opening of the Games in Rio de Janeiro there was neither Isinbayeva nor other track and field athletes from Russia. Neither the Court of Arbitration for Sport nor a direct appeal to the IAAF helped. “Gold” was taken by the Greek Ekaterini Stefanidi, who achieved a height of 4.85. On August 19, 2016, Isinbayeva completed her sports career.

Elena Isinbayeva burst into tears at a meeting with Putin

Personal life of Elena Isinbaeva

Outside the sports arena, Elena has always been a very simple and sociable girl, not prone to shocking behavior. Even at the first Olympics in her life, she entered the stadium without makeup, with her hair carelessly tied up 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 of her, but her heart went to track and field athlete Nikita Petinov, master of sports in javelin throwing. Like Elena, he is a native of Volgograd. “He threw a spear right at Isinbayeva’s heart,” they joked on the Internet.

Elena met Nikita, then still quite a young man (Nikita is 8 years younger than her lover) in her hometown. But it was too early to talk about romantic relationships then. When she moved to Monaco, she often communicated with Nikita via the Internet. In 2011, she came to Volgograd - apparently, then the “everything is serious” phase began in their relationship.

When little Eva was three years old, her mother brought her “into the world”: they appeared together at the All-Russian athletics competition (Elena Isinbaeva Cup).

In August 2017, the athlete’s mother died. During the funeral, Elena was already carrying her second child under her heart. The boy, Isinbayeva’s second child, was born on February 14, 2018.

Elena Isinbaeva now

Having left big sport, Elena Gadzhievna still keeps her finger on the pulse of Russian sports life. A month after her loud statement, Vladimir Putin included the former jumper in the interdepartmental commission under the president dealing with the development of sports.

In October 2016, Elena joined the jury of the TV show “Ice Age” along with Dmitry Kharatyan and Mikhail Galustyan.

Until 2020, the record holder has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense - she works as an athletics instructor at CSKA.

In December of the same year, she headed the supervisory board of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, but due to the dissatisfaction of the World Anti-Doping Agency, she resigned from her post in May 2017. “The head of RUSADA must be independent,” WADA said. On August 18, 2017, Elena joined the IOC Athletics Commission.

• Name: Elena
• Surname: Isinbaeva
• Date of Birth: 03.06.1982
• Place of Birth: Volgograd
• Zodiac sign: Twins
• Eastern horoscope: Dog
• Occupation: athlete (pole vault)
• Height: 174 cm
• Weight: 55 kg

Yelena Isinbayeva- famous Russian athlete. Pole vaulting became a part of her life, her achievements and awards at various championships elevated her to the rank of great athletes of our time. Elena proved to the whole world that she has no equal in this discipline.

Photo by Elena Isinbaeva

Sports childhood and youth

Elena Isinbaeva’s hometown is Volgograd. His father, a native of Dagestan, Gadzhi Isinbaev, worked as a plumber, and his mother, Natalya Petrovna, worked in a boiler room. There were two girls in the family: Elena and her sister Inessa.

According to her mother, she raised her children in strictness and dreamed of a sports career for them. Therefore, at the insistence of her mother, at the age of 5, Elena was sent to the gymnastics section. 10 years of training and hard work have not passed without a trace, at the age of 15 she became a master of sports. But it so happened that the girl’s tall height became an obstacle to her gymnast’s career. Coach Alexander Lisovoy advised Isinbayeva to try her hand at athletics, namely pole vaulting. He recommended his colleague Evgeniy Trofimov to pay attention to the young athlete. So, At the age of 15, the gymnast switched to athletics and began to stubbornly and persistently move towards the Olympic podium. The apparent ease with which she now conquers incredible heights is, in fact, incredible work and daily exhausting training.

Elena Isinbaeva in childhood

After graduating from a lyceum with a technical focus, in 2000 the future famous jumper entered the Volgograd Academy of Physical Education. This was facilitated by her visit to the Olympic Reserve School.

First victories

Coach Evgeniy Trofimov turned gymnastics into a professional in the track and field discipline of pole vaulting. Sports training has become a good foundation for quickly mastering the basics of a new sport. Of course, at the age of 15, changing direction was risky, but the girl made every effort to become a famous track and field athlete.

In 1998, Isinbayeva won her first victory in the pole vault. The World Youth Games brought her a gold medal, and she also set her first world record by jumping 4 meters 10 centimeters. A year later she was conquered new peak of 4.4 meters at the World Championships among juniors. 2001 brought her a silver medal at the European Championships, where she was beaten by another Russian athlete, Svetlana Feofanova. Year after year, Isinbayeva competes in the most important world championships, and in 2003 she set a new record: jumping over the bar set at a height of 4 meters 82 centimeters at the British Grand Prix in Gateshead.

Olympic glory

In 2000, the women's pole vault discipline was included in the Olympic Games for the first time. But the first Olympics ended in failure. Elena failed to overcome the qualifying round. But for the 18-year-old athlete this was not critical; her career was just beginning.

Olympic gold 2004

Four years later, at the Olympics in Athens, Isinbayeva had truly great success. Years of training helped her become an Olympic champion and set a new world record. The fight for gold then began in earnest: the confrontation between two Russians, Isinbayeva and Feofanova, ended in Elena’s victory. Olympic gold helped the athlete become one of the most beloved and popular in her homeland.

In 2005, the athlete went under the leadership of Vitaly Petrov, who at one time coached the world-famous athlete Sergei Bubka. At the next 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Isinbayeva repeated her success. The gold award was again in the hands of the Russian athlete. Of course, there was a new world record: a height of 5.05 meters was conquered.

Elena prepares herself before the final jump at the 2008 Olympics

In 2012, the fourth Olympics for Elena Isinbayeva started. Competitions in London brought her a bronze medal, and the jumper herself stated that she wanted to temporarily leave the sport to devote herself to motherhood. However, the break did not last long and she set off to conquer new heights. She left her participation in the 2016 Olympics in doubt.

Victories and records in other competitions

In the inter-Olympic cycles, Elena Isinbaeva participated in almost all prestigious competitions on the planet.

• 2002 – “silver” at the European Championships;
• 2003 – bronze medal at the World Championships;
• 2005 – Grand Prix tournament “Atletissima 2005” and a new record of 4.93 cm;
• 2005 – track and field competition at the London Grand Prix, where Elena overcame a five-meter height;
• 2008 – participation in the Super Grand Prix series in Monaco, world record 5.04 m;
• 2011 – Stockholm Grand Prix, world indoor record 5.01 m;
• 2013 – “gold” at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow.

Of course, this is only part of the merits of the great athlete. To be fair, it must be said that not all sporting battles were successful. But Elena accepted failures with dignity and nobility. She did not make excuses after mistakes, but said that she would thoroughly analyze her mistakes. This makes fans even more respectful of the great athlete.

In 2007 and 2009, the World Academy of Sports Glory named the Russian jumper “The Best Athlete on the Planet.” In 2015, a contract was signed between the Russian Ministry of Defense and Elena Isinbayeva. The new position involves providing instruction in athletics at CSKA.

Doping scandal on the eve of the 2016 Olympics

The two-time Olympic champion’s desire to compete at her last Olympics in Rio, Brazil in 2016 was not destined to come true. And neither injuries, nor health, nor personal circumstances were to blame. The doping scandal that erupted on the eve of the Olympic Games became the reason for the International Olympic Committee to suspend the entire Russian track and field team from participation in the national team.

The famous jumper fought until the last for her right to participate in the main games of the four-year anniversary. Her reputation has always been high and she has never been involved in doping scandals. But the final decision of the International Association of Athletics Federations was not in her favor.

Two-time Olympic champion could not hold back her tears as she saw off the athletes in Rio

In August 2016, Elena Isinbaeva announced that she was leaving big-time sports.

Activities outside the stadium and personal life

Immersed in sports, Elena Isinbaeva always relegated her personal life to the background. But by the age of 30, family happiness still found the athlete. Her chosen one and the father of her daughter turned out to be Nikita Petinov, also an athlete who competes in the javelin throwing discipline. Elena initially hid her affair.

But the relationship between the couple turned out to be strong, and when she had a baby bump, there was no point in hiding. In 2014, Eva was born. The first time after the birth of her daughter, the athlete decided to live in Monaco, away from prying eyes. Now she is in her homeland and is engaged in social activities.

In 2014, Elena was appointed to the position of mayor of the Olympic Village.

Mayor of the Olympic Village with Vladimir Putin

After the doping scandal and ban on participation in the 2016 Olympics, Elena is often interviewed, and I invite her to TV shows so that she can share her opinion. Isinbayeva states that she will always fight for the rights of honest athletes. In August, by a general vote of Olympic participants, she was elected to the athletes’ commission of the International Olympic Committee. Now she remains in Russia to continue the fight for justice.

Elena Gadzhievna Isinbaeva(June 3, 1982, Volgograd) - Russian pole vault athlete. Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Two-time Olympic champion (2004, 2008), winner of a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, holder of 28 world records in women's pole vaulting.
On July 22, 2005, at a competition in London, she achieved a height of 5 meters for the first time in the history of women's pole vaulting.
On March 6, 2012, she was recognized as the most successful active female athlete in Russia.

Elena Isinbayeva is one of the greatest track and field athletes of her time, having set an incredible 27 world records - 15 outdoor and 12 indoor - and won nine consecutive gold medals at the outdoor and indoor championships since her breakthrough in 2004.

On July 22, 2005, at a competition in London, she became the first woman in history to reach a height of 5 meters in pole vaulting.

Elena's father is Gadzhi Gadzhievich Isinbaev, his nationality is Tabasaran, his mother is Russian.
Graduated from the Volgograd Academy of Physical Education and Sports.

Her first major international start was the World Junior Championships in Annecy. There she jumped 3.90 m and finished the competition in ninth place. In 1999, she became the World Junior Champion in Bydgoszcz and improved her previous achievement by 20 cm, reaching a height of 4.10 meters.

In 2000, she again became the World Junior Champion with a score of 4.20 m. In the same year, women's pole vaulting was included in the Olympic program.

In 2001, with a result of 4.40 m, Isinbayeva again became 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 achieved a height of 4.46 m, a new world record among juniors, which only the German athlete Silke Spiegelburg could surpass in 2005, improving Isinbayeva’s achievement by 2 centimeters. At the 2002 European Championships in Munich, Elena was second with 4.55 m, losing to her compatriot Svetlana Feofanova.

In 2003, at the European Indoor Championships among athletes under 23 years of age, she won a gold medal with a score of 4.65 m. On July 13, 2003, at the Athletics Games in Gateshead, Lena set a new world record - 4.82 m. At the 2003 athletics in Paris, she rode as a favorite, but became only a bronze medalist, losing to Svetlana Feofanova and German Annika Becker.

On July 30, 2008, at the next stage of the Super Grand Prix series in Monaco, she set her next world record - 5.04 meters, which is one centimeter more than the previous record.

On August 18, 2008, at the Beijing Olympics, she won the gold medal in successive attempts, first setting the Olympic (4.95 m) and then the world (5.05 m) records.

On February 15, 2009, at the XX international tournament “Zepter - Pole Stars” in Donetsk, she set 2 world records indoors, 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 easily reached the final of the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, in the final itself she was unable to overcome a single height. 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 her coach.

On August 28, 2009, at the 5th 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, she decided to take an indefinite break from her career.

In April 2010, Elena was chosen as an ambassador for the Youth Olympics in Singapore.

After a pause, information appeared in the press that Elena plans to return to performances at the beginning of 2011, but this information was officially confirmed only on December 1, 2010 - on the official website of the Russian Athletics Federation there was information that Elena would take part in the “Russian Winter”.

On February 6, 2011, at the “Russian Winter” tournament, after a year-long pause in her career, Elena Isinbaeva entered the sector and, having cleared 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 Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

On February 23, 2012, at the Stockholm Grand Prix, she set a new world indoor record - 5.01 m. On August 6, 2012, she won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games, reaching a height of 4.70 m.

Personal data:
Full name: Elena Gadzhievna Isinbaeva
Female gender
Height: 5"9" (174 cm)
Weight: 141 lbs (64 kg)
Date of birth: June 3, 1982, Volgograd, USSR

Personal record:
pole vault - 5.06 (2009) WR.
Pole vault - 5.01 (2012) WR indoor

World Championships:
Bronze Paris 2003 pole
Gold Helsinki 2005 pole
Gold Osaka 2007 pole

World Indoor Championships:
Gold Budapest 2004 pole
Gold Moscow 2006 pole
Gold Valencia 2008 pole
Gold Istanbul 2012 pole

European Championships:
Silver Munich 2002 pole
Gold Gothenburg 2006 pole

European Indoor Championships:
Gold Madrid 2005 pole

Olympic medals: Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia)

Olympics	City	date	Medal	Discipline	Age	Result
	Athens	24.08.2004	Gold	W.B.- world best record OR- Olympic record =OR- repeating the Olympic record O.B.- best Olympic record (olympic best) AR- continental record (area record) NR- national record ER- European record CR- championship record M.R.- competition record (meeting record) W.L.- best result of the season in the world (world leading) S.B.- best result of the season (season best) PB/PR- personal best/personal record DNF- did not finish D.S.Q.- disqualification W - wind speed 1 yard = 0.9144 meters 1 foot = 0.3047 meters

Isinbaeva’s hometown is Volgograd, she was born on June 3, 1982. Her father is from Tabasaran and moved to Volgograd from Dagestan. He was a plumber, his mother worked in the boiler room. The family lived simply.

Elena has a sister who is one year younger. The sisters were sent to a sports school, where they practiced gymnastics. Elena was 5 years old then, and Inna was 4. Elena’s sister is not involved in sports now.

In 1989, Isinbayeva began studying at the lyceum. In 1991, Alexander Lisovoy became her coach, and under his mentorship Elena received the title of Master of Masters.

Sports biography

After sports school, Elena entered the Olympic reserve school, but she was expelled, considering her unpromising. However, Lisovoy decided that she could pole vault perfectly and turned to Evgeniy Trofimov for help. He coached Isinbayeva until 2005, and also in the period 2010-2013.

Elena's first achievement was the victory at the World Youth Games in 1998, the athlete jumped 4 m. In 1999, Isinbayeva became the winner of the World Championships in Seville, taking her first record. Elena became the world champion in 2000.

In 2001, Isinbayeva won the European Championship, in 2002 she took 2nd place at the European Championships, and in 2003 she won gold. The athlete became famous throughout the country in 2004, winning gold at the Olympics and achieving a record of 4.91 m.

In 2005, Isinbaeva began training with Vitaly Petrov, who was the mentor of the famous Sergei Bubka. In 2005, Elena jumped 5 m. At the 2008 Olympics, she received gold by jumping 5.05 m.

In 2009, a dark streak came. The athlete did not achieve a single height at the World Championships. In 2010, she was defeated and took a time out.

A year later, she jumped 4.81 m, this happened at the Russian Winter competition. In 2012, Elena set a new record - 5.01, and took 3rd place at the London Olympics (4.90 m). Then she took a break, Isinbayeva had a daughter, Eva.

Isinbayeva's last competition was the Russian Championship, where she achieved the best world result for the season - 4.90. In 2016, Russian track and field athletes were suspended from participation in the Olympics due to a doping scandal. The date of completion of Isinbayeva’s sports career was August 19, 2016.

Elena Gadzhievna took up social activities. She organized a foundation that began to support children interested in sports. Every year in Volgograd the Isinbayeva Athletics Cup is held, where teenagers participate.

Personal life

For some time, Isibaeva dated a young man named Artyom, who was a DJ. They met in Donetsk in 2006.

Elena Gadzhievna’s husband is Nikita Petinov, an athlete. The name of the chosen one became known to journalists only in 2014, when the champion’s daughter Eva was born.

Nikita is also from Volgograd, he has known Isinbaeva for a long time. Nikita is 8 years younger. For some time, Elena lived in Monaco, continuing to communicate with Petinov. She returned to Volgograd in 2011.

The name of this athlete will certainly be inscribed in the history of athletics next to the most outstanding representatives of this sport in history. Achievements Elena Isinbaeva can be included in the same list with such “breakthrough”, iconic results as James Hines breaking the 10-second mark in the 100-meter dash, Sergei Bubka’s six-meter pole vault, and Steve Williams’ 18-meter triple jump. Elena Isinbaeva is the first woman in the world who managed to pole vault above 5 meters, in addition, she improved world records 27 times.

Elena was born in June 1982 in Volgograd. From early childhood, from the age of five, she began to play sports, but it was artistic gymnastics, and she switched to athletics only at the age of fifteen. The talented girl’s first coach was the famous Evgeniy Trofimov, who took the already adult athlete into his group and trained her to become a world-class star. At first, few believed in Elena’s success, but having won the Youth Games in 1998, the vaulter forced the attention of many athletes who at that time set the tone in pole vaulting.

Since 1999, Elena Isinbayeva’s truly dizzying ascent to the heights of world sports fame begins. A year later she wins the same competition with a result of 4 m 10 cm. The next year - victory again and an increase in the result of 10 cm. In 2001 - a gold medal at the continental championship, a year later - a repeat of the result with a jump of 4 m 45 cm. Then, in 2003, she won again with a result of 4 m 65 cm, and by this time the athlete was not yet 23 years old. And since 2005, in fact, the “era of Isinbayeva” begins, because from that time on, her opponents in the sector could only fight for “silver”. Elena struggled only with heights, and on July 22, 2005 in London, for the first time in history, an athlete overcomes a height of 5 meters. Somewhat earlier, in 2008, she set her first world record - 4 m 82 cm, which brought her a gold medal as an Olympic champion. Now Elena says that the five-meter line became a training line for her, and then, at heights of up to five meters, medals were won in intense competition with other strongest pole vaulters, primarily with Svetlana Feofanova.

At the 2008 Olympics, the Beijing public and guests of the Olympics were able to watch how Elena set her next outstanding (24th!) world record - 5 m 05 cm, and again became the strongest.

It is not possible in a short article to list in detail all of Isinbayeva’s victories and results; we can only say that today there is no such athlete or track and field athlete in the world who would enjoy such respect throughout the world.

Elena lived and trained in Monaco for quite a long period of time, where she has a house in Monte Carlo, but last year, in the spring, she returned to her native Volgograd to be closer to her family and other people close to her.

Elena was recognized by the World Academy of Sports Glory as the best athlete in the world in 2007 and 2009, although it was in 2009 that her results declined - at the world championship, Elena was unable to overcome the initial height and stopped competing. The athlete herself explained this outcome of the competition by the lack of necessary concentration due to the constant race for records. Within a few months, she rehabilitated herself by jumping 5 m 06 cm at the Golden League stage, which is now the world record in the women’s pole vault.

It is characteristic that Isinbayeva did not set any of her world records at competitions in Russia. After an unsuccessful start at the world indoor championship, which took place in Doha, Isinbayeva made a statement about the temporary cessation of performances. This break lasted until February last year, when Elena won the Russian Winter, but then in Daegu, at the world championship, she again performed unsuccessfully, remaining off the podium. Elena, however, used the break in competitions productively - in 2010, a graduate of the Volgograd Academy of Physical Education and Sports successfully defended her dissertation and became a candidate of pedagogical sciences.

For her sporting achievements, Elena was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland and the Order of Honor. In 2009, the athlete was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize, and in Moscow a new fountain was named after her.

Now Elena Isinbaeva is training, her main sporting goal is victory in London, the birthplace of the five-meter jump and the capital of the next Olympic Games.

Yuri Danilov