ATHLETICS. Svetlana Feofanova: For me each of the competitions should end with my victory

At the second stage of the prestigious "Golden League" athletics series, which took place on July, 6 in Paris, the appearance in the women's pole vault sector of Svetlana Feofanova, the silver medalist of the 2004 Olympic Games and ten world records' holder, was quite unexpected, even for her rivals. Feofanova hadn't jumped since her victory at the 2007 European Indoor Championships. But in Paris she placed second with the result of 4.71 m, behind her longtime rival Yelena Isinbaeva (4.91 m). In an exclusive interview with the special correspondent of the agency of sport information "All Sport" in Paris Natalia Maryanchik, Svetlana Feofanova evaluated her summer season debut.

- Svetlana, why was your arrival in Paris wrapped in secret until the very last moment?
- I didn't specially hide anything. It's just that the negotiations with the organizers took a long time, and I wasn't certain that I'd be able to compete here. Now I can openly declare my plans for the upcoming competitions. These will be the third "Golden League" stage in Rome on July, 13 and the Russian championships in Tula.

- Are you satisfied with your performance in Paris?
- I have mixed emotions - both positive and negative. In general my jumps came out alright, but the wind interfered. Cross and head gusts are very inconvenient for vaulting and I had to fight it. The result of something like 4.70 was the minimum I had planned to show in Paris. So the first task is done, now hopefully everything further will also go well.

- How were you met by the other vaulters in the sector?
- Like normal, they always greet me well (laughing). You can't say that I've been away from the competitions all that long. I figure out that I've already made over a hundred such starts in Europe. Naturally I got used to it long ago. "Golden League" competition is the same as everything else. Simply a preparation stage for the eliminations at the Russian championships before the world championships in Osaka.

- Have you ever competed in Japan?
- I was only on the training camp in Japan before the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. But it's still too early to think about Osaka now.

- Has your jumping changed in comparison to the Olympics in Athens?
- Certainly, and hopefully it became better. I've been preparing for this summer season according to my standard program for about three months. I've corrected some slight flaws in my technique.

- Yelena Isinbaeva acknowledged that you give her additional irritation in the sector. Is your relation to her the same?
- No, generally I don't pay attention to her, and she's no irritation to me. But I'm very glad to hear that I provide irritation to her (laughing).

- Does the task of denying Isinbaeva the million dollar jackpot stand before you?
- For me every competition in which I participate should end with my victory. Whether the competition is the Moscow championship or the Olympic Games is not important. I fight for the first place, not to mess up anybody else! The point of any start, of sport itself, is to fight for victory, and the money for me is just a secondary concern.

Paris