Priority
to Gold
Chris Turner for the IAAF
27 February 2002 - Russia’s Svetlana Feofanova, who has taken the women’s World indoor pole vault record apart in four 1 cm segments this indoor season, was in confident mood in Vienna today, speaking at the first official press conference ahead of the 27th European Indoor Championships, which take place in the Ferry Dusika stadium this weekend.
Feofanova, who jumped the current World indoor mark of 4.74m at Lievin on 24th February, was not unduly concerned that people have already hung the gold medal around her neck, even before Friday’s qualification round, let alone Sunday’s final has taken place.
“Pressure is a normal thing in sport. Everyone always expects you to win and so the situation is quite standard for me…. but of course, I must not get distracted, as I have to qualify for the final yet” conceded the Russian!
“The way I have already been jumping this season adds no extra pressure. I have come here to win and records are not important. Obviously, the ultimate would be if I won and set a new world record but that is not my first aim here in Vienna”.
Explaining the background to her dramatic improvement this season, Feofanova confirmed “gymnastic training has been the foundation of my jumping but everyday I gain new impressions about the sport of athletics itself. I’m learning more and more about what it is to be an athlete. As a vaulter I have a very long way to go to improve my technical ability. I have much still to learn but I know with time I can master the technique, and that I have all qualities needed to jump so much higher than now”.
Feofanova later confirmed that “five metres is certainly a possibility in the future”!
Furthermore, on 28th January 2001 she made her first, albeit unsuccessful, attempt at that magical height in a training session! Similar to her attempt at 4.82m, after her world record in Lievin, that occasion was as much a matter of testing different poles than a real attempt. However, she remained adamant that she possessed everything that was needed to eventually reach 5 metres.
Yet what if any other woman was to reach 5 metres first? Feofanova’s reply left no doubt as to her present confidence - “I would make sure I jumped even higher”!
As to the foundations of her vaulting technique? “Speed has not been a crucial element of my jumping. It has been by combining my qualities as a gymnast with that of an athlete, that I have found most success since I started vaulting in 1997, but I have always had a general love of running”.
With personal bests of 6.82 secs for 60m and 11.62 secs for 100m - both hand timed -, and 6.33m for the long jump and 1.65m for high jump, Feofanova also displays much of the required versatility to be a multi-eventer, but she confirmed she had no intention to experiment with another event.
The now legendary vaulting career of Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka has been a great inspiration for Feofanova, especially on the technical side aspects of the event. At the Edmonton World Championships last summer the help came direct, with Bubka advising Feofanova, and explaining some errors he had witnessed.
What errors? “Well, Bubka was most interested to know why I no longer looked like a gymnast when I jumped” smiled Feofanova, “and with all his hints he was really a great help”.
In Vienna on Friday, Feofanova will try to add a golden lustre to her recent world records and today she exuded all the confidence required to become a champion.
“I like to do world records and I am enjoying the season so much, that my emotions are only positive”!
