MOSCOW: Former Soviet pole vault great Sergei Bubka has predicted that Russian legend Yelena Isinbayeva will cap her glittering career with success at her home World Championships later this year.
Moscow is due to host the IAAF World Championships from 10-18 August at the city’s Luzhniki stadium, the biggest summer event Russia has hosted since the 1980 Olympics under the Soviet Union.
And Bubka believes that women’s pole vault outdoor world record-holder Isinbayeva could deliver a fitting swansong in what she claims will be her last major competition before retiring.
“Her (Isinbayeva’s) potential is very high and I hope the support of her home crowd will help her to perform well at her domestic worlds to finish her career in the best possible way,” he said.
Once the undisputed queen of her sport, the twice Olympic and twice world champion has struggled recently to repeat her previous brilliance.
Although she has set 30 world records, indoors and outdoors, she took only bronze at last year’s London Olympics and failed to win a medal at either of the last two World Championships.
She also saw her indoor world record overtaken by USA’s Jenn Suhr earlier this year.
But Isinbayeva will not be the only star expected to light up the Luzhniki stadium.
“The world athletics championships is a really great event,” added Bubka, the deputy president of the international athletics governing body IAAF, himself a former Olympic and world champion and still the world record holder both indoors and outdoors in his event, 12 years after retiring.
“The best of the best athletes from more than 200 countries will come to Moscow to compete here,” said the Ukrainian legend.
“Everybody is awaiting the performances of top stars like Usain Bolt, David Rudisha, Allyson Felix and of course the Russian athletics team, who have earned tremendous success in recent times.”
AFP
