Was it the last leap of this incandescent flame?
As Yelena Isinbayeva took the Luzhniki Stadium on an exhilarating journey to the gold medal on Tuesday night, the question kept popping up in the mind.
The answer came from the great lady herself, well after she had called off the night’s entertainment.
And what entertainment!
The 14th World Championships in athletics had been crying out for some life and even Usain Bolt’s stirring run in the 100 metres couldn’t enliven the atmosphere. But sparks were flying on Tuesday as Isinbayeva tackled each height with confidence at the pole vault pit.
Russia’s darling daughter kept asking for support and the fans willingly rallied behind her, chanting her name in a thundering and rhythmic chorus every time she picked up the pole. Did that give the jitters to her rivals? One wouldn’t know but Isinbayeva certainly was enjoying this night as she won her third World Championships gold – a medal that could well mark the end of a great career.
“In my subconscious mind I thought this might be my last performance and I wanted to leave a bright trace with my last meet,” said Isinbayeva at a crowded press conference past midnight. “I wouldn’t say I am retiring now but I will be taking a break at the end of this season. I plan to start a family, have a baby and then try and make a comeback for Rio Olympics. If everything goes well, I will continue, otherwise I will retire.
“Nine months to have a baby and nine more months to nurse the baby. So I might make a return in about one and a half years,” quipped the 31-year-old, still on a high after her unfettered celebrations on the track.
With 28 world records in her name besides two Olympic gold medals and four world indoor titles, Isinbayeva has revolutionised women’s pole vault, just like Sergei Bubka did in the men’s event. She was unbeatable in her prime but after Beijing 2008, she did not have a global crown outdoors as she struggled with motivation and injuries.
The Russian diva failed to register a mark at the Berlin World Championships in 2009 and didn’t win a medal at the 2011 Worlds in Daegu. And a bronze at the London Olympics last year was small consolation for the queen of the skies. On Tuesday though, it seemed like old times.
“The crowd energised me,” said Isinbayeva. “If I had the same support at London, the result could have been different. Everyone was behind me here, I could feel the support, it was colossal.”
Thanks to that support, Isinbayeva registered her best outdoor mark in four years. Her 4.89 on Tueday wouldn’t rank as high as her world record of 5.06 but on a day when her rivals, Olympic champion Jenn Suhr and world leader Yarisley Silva couldn’t measure up, that was the gold standard. So how does this compare to her Olympic gold medals?
“It is hard to compare. At Athens and Beijing, I was the favourite. I was winning everything and didn’t know what defeat was. So in that way, this medal is dearest to me,” she said. “I had so many defeats and suffered injuries. My self-belief had taken a blow and people had written me off. I was desperate and I was thinking maybe it’s time to quit. But my coach (Evgeny Trofimov) instilled belief in me. People were saying Isinbayeva is finished. It was upsetting but at the same time, it pushed me and I have shown the era of Isinbayeva is back again.”
Isinbayeva had parted ways with Trofimov -- who had coached the ex-gymnast from the age of 15 – to join hands with Vitaly Petrov, Sergei Bubka’s coach, after Athens 2004. She returned to Trofimov in 2011 to chart their latest success story. “He never gave up, he always believed in me. After London, I had no energy, no passion and I was on the verge of quitting. He never forced me, he listened to me and then in March, he said, let’s give it a try again. That is how it started and today, I am No 1 again,” she said.
She might be taking a break but Isinbayeva has a busy period ahead. She will be one of the mayors of the Athletes’ Village at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014. “It will be a big year and I will be a VIP there. I will be walking around like a pregnant penguin,” she joked, before leaving the stage the same way she had entered it -- bubbly, joyous and radiant.
Even if she never enters the global stage again, that is the image that will linger, along with memories of an electrifying Luzhniki night.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks