Elena Gadjieva Isinbaeva was born in Volgograd on June 3, 1982. Her father, Gadi Gafanovich, comes from the Daghestanian village of Chuvek, located near Derbent. Her mother, Natalia Petrovna, was born on a small farm outside Volgograd but later moved to the city.2 photos

In her family, besides Elena, there is also a younger sister named Inessa.

From an early age, their parents encouraged them to engage in sports. At first, it was rhythmic gymnastics, but by the age of 15, Elena had grown too tall for this sport and switched to pole jumping.

Elena’s rise to fame in Russian athletics was not smooth or easy. Starting so late in her career meant facing many challenges, especially for her coach, Evgeny Trofimov. However, even in her school years, Elena achieved success: she won the World Junior Games in Moscow in 1998, became the junior world champion a year later, and subsequently won numerous competitions and set world records.

Her greatest victory came at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where she not only became an Olympic champion but also set a new world record in pole jumping.Thus, she became a renowned and popular athlete both in her homeland and around the world. From that point on, no one else except Elena Isinbaeva managed to break the world record in pole jumping. Her triumphant achievement on July 22, 2005, when she surpassed the 5-meter mark for the first time in female pole jumping history, was particularly significant.

At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Elena delivered another outstanding performance, becoming a two-time Olympic champion and setting a new world record of 5 meters and 5 centimeters in pole jumping.This record marked her 24th career achievement in this sport.

Elena graduated from the Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture and in 2010 obtained a degree in pedagogy.

An Honored Master of Sports of Russia, two-time Olympic champion, and holder of 28 world records in women’s pole jumping—Elena Isinbaeva has proven with her athletic achievements that a person from a simple family can achieve great things in sports.She was recognized as the World’s Best Athlete of 2007 and 2009 by the Laureus World Sports Academy, as the Best Female Athlete of the Decade by Track&Field News magazine, and twice by the IAAF as the World Athletics Woman of the Year (in 2004, 2005, and 2008). She was also named Russia’s Most Successful Active Athlete.

One of the greatest athletes of her time, Elena Isinbaeva has received honors such as the Order “For Services to the Fatherland” IV degree and the Order of Honor, as well as the Prince of Asturias Award. She is also a Honorary Citizen of Donetsk.