Jezebel: pole vault

Blanket Statements

Anna — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:10:00 EDT

[Berlin, August 17. Image via Getty]

Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva reacts after missing her last attempt in the women's pole vault final of the 2009 IAAF Athletics World Championships on August 17, 2009 in Berlin. AFP PHOTO/ FABRICE COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Olympic pole vaulter Jenn Stuczynski isn't...

Margaret — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:20:00 EDT

Olympic pole vaulter Jenn Stuczynski isn't bothered by coach Rick Suhr chewing her out on camera after winning a silver medal, but she is upset by the public's reaction. On Saturday, Stuczynski defended her coach, explaining that the cameras didn't capture her asking Suhr what she'd done wrong, the fact that he was screaming over 91,000 fans, or their celebration afterwards. "I don’t ask for him to be a cheerleader,” Stuczynski said. “I don’t want him to carry pompoms and tell me I’m great when I’m not. That’s not the athlete I want to be. I don’t want the constant stroking of my ego. I want someone to be honest and fair. That wasn’t an attack, it wasn’t even criticism. It was the facts. That’s the way I took it." She added, "I’m 26 years old. I can think for myself. I’m a strong girl. My parents raised me to be strong and I was not even remotely sad that night." [The Buffalo News]

Golden Girls: Elena Isinbaeva

Anna — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:50:00 EDT

Russia's Elena Isinbaeva jumps to set a new world record and win the gold medal in the women's pole vault final at the 'Bird's Nest' National Stadium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 18, 2008. The reigning double Olympic and world champion bettered her own world record in the women's pole vault. The 26-year-old Russian vaulted 5.05m, 1cm higher than her previous record set in Monaco last month. AFP PHOTO / VALERY HACHE (Photo credit should read VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)