A Vault Battle For The Ages: It is rare indeed when a highly-hyped athletic showdown lives up to its pre-event expectations. The women’s pole vault did. Jenn Suhr knew she would be dueling in hostile territory. “I’ve never before evoked cheers when one of my jumps failed,” she noted. But the reigning Olympic gold medalist never blinked, she just tired. “By the time we jumped at 4.89m [16'5"], I was out of gas,” Suhr confessed in explaining her three misses a that height. Meanwhile, Elena Ishinbaeva – each of her attempts cheered lustily by the raucous partisan crowd – simply wouldn’t be beaten in her home country. The legendary vault czarina – who clearly savors the big stage – cleared 4.89m on first attempt to cap a stirring winning performance that will long be remembered.
