Early season leaders in Moscow Indoor Championships

[achtungpv]

Early season leaders in Moscow Indoor Championships
Monday 19 January 2004

Moscow - The leading Russian athletes use every competition as an opportunity to improve their results. One of the occasions to show their best was the Indoor Moscow Championships on 17-18 January.

In the Pole Vault Tatiana Polnova cleared 4.60 at her first attempt, but she failed to get over with the bar at 4.70. She said that on the eve of the championships she had caught a cold that affected her jumps.

In men’s Pole Vault there is a new leader in Russia. Igor Pavlov jumped his personal best – 5.75 at his first attempt. Two years ago he was badly injured at the indoor meeting in Taipei. He suffered a double compound fracture of his left leg. Some people thought that it would be impossible for him to return to competition. But in half a year he had resumed training and last year Igor jumped 4.75 at a competition held in an Italian city square.

“My injury was just bad luck,“ says Igor. “I made a mistake at the moment of my jump.

“Now I do not feel any fear during my jumps. I think that I can jump 5.80 – 5.85 at the indoor competitions this winter and be a contender for the medal at the World Indoor Championships.

“My coach says that I have a potential to jump 6.00. I jumped now 5.75 in accordance with our plans, I hope to do more at the meeting “Russian winterâ€Â