Moscow Open

IAAF event
avoided setting a new World
Record. However, even without
a world record, those who
watched his run were highly
impressed by the show. The
stadium shuddered with congratulations
and it was only
Bolt who managed to keep a
cool facade. Later he would
say that, this summer, he had
brought rain wherever he performed.
Afterwards he would
say that he was happy with
the fact that even with a poor
start he managed to perform
well and change the outcome
of the race to his favour during
the second half of the distance.
“I felt great. It seemed
to me as though I was flying,”
said Bolt. But he made a slip
of the tongue by saying that
he continues to be careful
especially in bad weather in
order to avoid injuries on the
eve of the World Championships.
Whatever advances he
has made, it was going to be
difficult for him to set out to
break the world record. But
even, as a concept, he said
that it wasn’t going to happen
before the Berlin World Championships.
The General Manager of
the meeting, Laurent Boquillet,
took full advantage of Bolt
during the competition. There
was an unprecedented revival
of interest in athletics from
the numerous inhabitants of
Paris, born of African and the
Caribbean blood. The main
sponsors of the competition,
the giant “Areva” Group, needed
just that kind of a hero.
Bolt had made the agreement
to come to Paris in January. Of
course the competition would
have been more impressive if
the season’s leader Tyson Gay
had also taken part in the 100
metres but both athletes preferred
to compete in words.
In Rome, in the “ÅF Golden
League” event, Gay ran the 100
metres in the season’s leading
time of 9.77. Bolt remained
unlucky with the weather in
Lausanne where he raced in
the 200 metres. Although it
32 | www.athletics-magazine.com
was also windy, rainy and cool
there, he clocked 19.59 but
Tyson Gay ran the 200 metres
in New York in 19.58 seconds.
It was surprising that there
were so many spectators at the
Paris Meet, around 50,000. It
looked as if the city already
overcrowded with tourists was
a long way away from taking
an interest in athletics. Despite
the athletics programme, the
streets hummed with continuous
festivities. During the tourist
season, local inhabitants,
as always, used this time to
earn money. Groups of Gypsy
beggars congregated around
the Eiffel Tower, whilst street
artists and musicians, Arab
conjurers (playing the thimble
game) all crowded the streets
of Montmartre and ran to intercept
the tourists whilst the
athletes sprinted on the tracks
of the stadium.
Educational events for the
numerous child spectators and
paid for by sponsors were also
included into the competition
programme. Before the start of
the main competition, children
were taught to render first aid
at accidents and physical training
instructors demonstrated
different activity games for
them. A lot of the young spectators
would remember this day
for the rest of their lives. For
a long time now sports events
have been used, in Europe, to
educate youngsters in different
public programmes.
Elena in a Chinese Outfit
Elena Isinbaeva was another
star at the Paris Tournament.
As a matter of course, everybody
was awaiting yet another
world record from her after
she had assured everyone that
she had restored her self confidence
after her good performance
in Rome. However the
bad weather again ruined her
plans. Although she won, the
height of 4.65 metres was not
that good for the world record
holder. Svetlana Feofanova
took second place with 4.55
metres.
“The weather was awful. It
was impossible to adjust to
it,” complained Elena, “worst
of all was the swirling wind. It
was impossible to produce a
good performance under those
conditions. However, what is
important is that I won. I am
still hoping to break the world
record this summer.”
She finished the competition
having made only one jump as
she cleared 4.65 metre at the
first attempt.
“You saw, yourself, that there
was no sense at all to continue
the competition,” explained
her trainer, Vitaliy Petrov. Further
jumps could have caused
injuries. It was an ordinary
competition and it was important
that she won and managed
to take her jumps before
it began raining heavily.
In Paris, Isinbaeva continued
to enjoy her star status.
American tourists in the Pullman
Hotel recognised her and
took photos with her, even in
the lift. She said she was feeling
OK explaining that the
bandage on her knee was only
there in case something re-occurred
to her recently recovered
injury.
“Competing in Paris in front
of my French fans is something
special. Particularly
when you are accommodated
in the centre of the city and
look out over the Eiffel Tower;
it is just super,” said the Russian
star with excitement. But
Vitaliy Petrov understood that
‘Golden League’ competitions
bring with them a large psychological
pressure as Elena
is obliged to win all six tournaments
in order to make a
claim for the top prize. Whilst
it is prestigious, of no less
importance, are the financial
rewards which are a big motivation
for a jumper to continue
with this technically difficult
event.
Petrov was extremely serious
about the increasing danger
of injuries when a jumper
gets older. He explained that,
when, after the summer competition
in Berlin, they went for
a change of air to Donetsk to
do some light training, Elena’s