Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug 19 (efe_epa).
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American Sandi Morris and Greece’s Ekaterini Stefanidi – an NCAA champion at Stanford University – were the only two to clear 4.85m, leading to a fight for the gold.
A 26-year-old pole vaulter, Stefanidi has a personal best of 4.86 meters in the outdoor track and field, which she achieved in June of 2016 in Athens, as well as 4.90 meters in the indoor track and field.
The final was notable for the absence of Isinbayeva, the two-time Olympic champion who was barred from Rio because of Russia’s blanket track and field ban over allegations of state-backed doping.
Stefanidi cleared 4.85 metres to beat American Sandi Morris, who took silver. Thursday, Isinbayeva was elected as an athlete representative to the International Olympic Committee, and she announced her retirement from the sport Friday. She reacted to her title win: “I can’t believe what’s happened”.
“Things are how they are and we had nothing to do with it”. “It’s incredible, the crowd were awesome, my parents are here”, Stefanidi told reporters.
Morris, who set the American record earlier this year at 16-2, made 15-9 on her second attempt Friday night, which moved her from fifth to second place.
“Her comments can be disrespectful and hurtful to the people who were out there tonight”, Morris said.
Greece’s Ekaterini Stefanidi finished with the gold while Eliza McCartney of New Zealand took home bronze.
“I hit the mat and for one split second I was kind of disappointed”, Morris said.
She successfully completed only one vault, at 4.60m, after her husband and coach Rick Suhr reported on Twitter on Friday morning that she had woken up “coughing up blood”.
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Yarisley Silva, silver medalist in 2012 and the reigning world champion, also found herself off the podium when she was unable to clear the same height. “It’s some sort of respiratory infection”, Suhr said after her elimination.
