Nikolay Ivanov
8 February 2001 - The Russian team for the World Indoors have high hopes for gold for pole vaulter Svetlana Feofanova, the Muscovite who set a new European indoor record of 4.58m in Karlsruhe.
"I knew that I was ready to jump over 4.58m and maybe to reach the world record," said Svetlana in our recent chat. "And we participated in Karlsruhe with only one aim: to achieve the record level."
NI: When did you start training for pole vault?
SF: Since April 1998. But I was 6 years old when I came into sport - gymnastics. 12 years later I understood that the time had come to leave it. I was too old for gymnastics. My coach found the way out of this sad situation and suggested that I join a pole vault training group.
NI: It looks like you made very quick progress in athletics.
SF: Yes, gymnastics has helped me not to be afraid of high jumps. And I was strong enough to work with a pole. The only problem is my lack of height. But I managed to compensate that by faster and more powerful running.
NI: What do you think about your future jumps?
SF: My coach says that it is very possible to jump 4.65-4.70 in the near future. I used 4.20 poles in Karlsruhe and now I need 4.45 poles to make a grip 10 cm higher.
NI: When are you going to try out the new poles?
SF: We have purchased poles in the USA and they have promised a delivery in time for Lisbon. So I will try them for the first time at the World Indoor Championships. I will need to be in good health, on top form and have a high grip to jump a world record in Lisbon.
