The victory of Angelica Sidorova in the pole vault was the first success for the Russian team at the World Athletics Championships in Doha. Fans and experts joyfully greeted this result and expressed confidence that national teammates should certainly be inspired by the example of a jumper.
The main rival of the Russian woman in the fight for the gold of the championship of the planet was the American Sandy Morris, who fought to the last and lost to Sidorova only in her last attempt. According to the president of the All-Russian Athletics Federation (VFLA) Dmitry Shlyakhtin, this confrontation has become one of the most memorable events of the start of the championship of the planet.
“A stunning finale, incredible in beauty, a battle of characters and stamina. I looked, from the first jumps I could not take my eyes off. Huge respect for Angelica and their unique coaching tandem with Svetlana Abramova. I congratulate our team and all the guys on this victory, ”Shlyakhtina quotes TASS.
For Sidorova, the Doha World Cup was the third in his career at the adult level. However, the two previous tournaments ended unsuccessfully for her: in 2015, she did not take the initial height in the final, and in 2017 she did not qualify at all. According to the head coach of the Russian athletics team Yuri Borzakovsky, the jumper managed to cope with the pressure and leave these failures in the past, which, in turn, led her to her current success.
“I wholeheartedly congratulate Angelica and her coach Svetlana Abramova on this brilliant result. They have developed an excellent tandem, which, I am sure, will be able to show itself perfectly in the next Olympic season. It's great that after two unsuccessful summer world championships, Sidorova managed to cope with herself and win in Doha with the best season result in the world. This is the first medal for our team, and it is very important for all of us, ”said the mentor.
After the victory, some began to draw parallels between Sidorova and two-time Olympic winner Elena Isinbaeva, who was the last of the Russians to win the World Cup. However, the personal trainer of the newly-made champion Svetlana Abramova asked fans and experts to refrain from such comparisons.
“Lena is Lena, and Angelica is Angelica. The fact that this is the first medal for the team does not add much emotion. If we had a complete team, we would try to get more rewards. We will not touch on this topic. It’s just an accident that our discipline was the first where gold could be won. I’m sure that Masha Lasitskene will not hit the face in the dirt, ”the“ Championship ”mentor quotes.
In addition, the coach emphasized that for her the high result of the ward was not a surprise.
“I knew that Angelica was able to take this height. She was ready to jump like that. Time for personal records here at the World Cup. Why didn’t she go further and try to take a height of five meters? These are emotions, she threw them all out today. This made no sense, ”said Abramova.
Two-time Olympic champion Isinbaeva also congratulated a colleague and her coach on the success in Doha.
“How did you add in technology and stability! It was pleasant and proud to look at you! Clearly, confidently and calmly overcame every height on the first try! I sincerely congratulate you and your coach Svetlana Abramova on a grand victory and the title of world champion, ”Isinbayeva turned to Sidorova on Instagram.
The well-known commentator Dmitry Guberniev did not stand aside from the achievement of the 28-year-old Russian woman. He noted that the gold of the Russian national team at the Doha World Cup became the main event in the world of sports over the weekend.
“Before the triumph of this girl, both Formula 1 and news about Kononov, and Spartak from CSKA, and so on and so forth, fade. Angelica Sidorova - world champion in athletics! Queen! Pride! Just a goddess! This is a victory, ”Guberniev wrote on his Instagram page.
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Publication by Dmitry Guberniev (@guberniev_dmitry) Sep 29, 2019 at 1:17 PDT
It is worth adding that due to the VFLA disqualification, representatives of the Russian national team who were allowed to participate in the tournament take part in the World Championship in neutral status and are not allowed to use any national symbols. Sidorova admitted that she was uncomfortable performing in such conditions, but this does not reduce the value of her victory. Morris also supported her rival, urging athletes to pay as little attention to political issues as possible.
“Neither I nor Angelica are to blame for what is happening in politics. We are just girls who want to compete and win medals. We have an excellent relationship, we are friends with her. I know that it’s hard for her to play in such a status, so I try to support her as much as possible, ”the American said after the final.