LONDON, 15 July 2003 — Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva set a world record in the women’s pole vault in front of a sparse crowd in a Super Grand Prix meeting in Gateshead on Sunday.
The 21-year-old’s mark of 4.82 meters exceeded American Stacy Dragila’s 4.81 meters set in California in June 2001.
Isinbayeva, who collected a check for $50,000, has been on top form and set a world leading mark of 4.73 meters in Poznan, Poland just over two weeks ago.
She had opened at 4.30 meters and progressed through 4.44, 4.54, 4.64 and 4.74, needing two attempts at all those heights except the first and the third. By the time she attempted the world record mark, most of the 10,000 crowd had gone home.
The bar wobbled for a few seconds before Isinbayeva landed in triumph to the delight of a sparse crowd that had shrunk to about 1,000 for the last event of the night.
Her compatriot Svetlana Feofanova, who holds the world indoor record of 4.80 meters set at the world championships in Birmingham in March, was second on Sunday with 4.54 meters.
Earlier, Briton Dwain Chambers won the men’s 100 meters in controversial circumstances after rivals Kim Collins and Bernard Williams had already run the race once following a false start.
Neither Collins from St. Kitts and Nevis nor American Williams heard the two guns fired to alert the athletes to the false start by Briton Mark Lewis-Francis and they crossed the finish line together before realizing they had been recalled.
After a short delay Chambers led a British clean sweep in 10.27 seconds followed by Lewis-Francis (10.35) and Darren Campbell (10.36). Williams and Collins faded toward the end to finish sixth and eighth.
Collins felt the organizers could have rescheduled the 100 meters to allow the sprinters a brief rest. Chambers was second in the 200 meters, sandwiched between fellow Britons Christian Malcolm, who won in 20.73 seconds, and Marlon Devonish.
European champion Christian Olsson managed a personal best to win another triple jump duel with Briton Jonathan Edwards. The Swede recorded 17.92 metres to beat the Olympic champion, who nevertheless jumped a respectable 17.61.
Edwards, however, was also upbeat.
A below-par Hicham El-Guerrouj was still streets ahead of his rivals as he won the 1500 metres in 3:33.41 after holding off Kenya’s Paul Korir and American David Krummenacker.
Allen Johnson won the men’s 110 meters hurdles in 13.37 seconds ahead of fellow American Duane Ross (13.58).
Maria Mutola of Mozambique coasted home in the women’s 800 meters in 1:58.80, ahead of Slovenia’s Jolanda Ceplak, her main rival for gold at next month’s world championships in Paris.
