I’m not a robot, says Yelena Isinbayeva

The five-time world champion pole vaulter, tells DNAthat she has not achieved her goals yet. Excerpts from the interview:

You have parted ways with coach Vitaliy Petrov. Any specific reason?
I have changed my coach and my training base. I wanted to spend more time closer to my parents. Vitaliy was not able to move for obvious reasons — he has his family in Italy and his main job is at the training centre. So it was not practical for him to move. As you know, I had a lot of success with my previous coach Evgeniy Trofimov. We had an open and honest discussion about the situation and we both agreed to work together. I am happy. I am fortunate in this  regard.

Do you think working with him in hometown Volgograd will help?
I cannot speak for all athletes but I believe if you are comfortable in your environment and if you have the support around you, then it allows you to focus on what you need to do as an athlete. So for me, being closer to my family means a lot and I am happy to be here.

It is like going back to old school and old teacher?
Well, it is sort of like that but our relationship is professional. The coach-athlete relationship is very specific and we have our goals and our targets. Evgeniy Trofimov has his programme for training and Vitaliy Petrov has his programme. And luckily for me that I was successful with both coaches and their training methods. Now that I am back with Trofimov, I feel that things will improve starting this outdoor season.

You parted with Trofimov in 2005 after winning the year’s World Championship and becoming the first woman pole vaulter to break the five-metre barrier. What was the reason for you to leave when you were on a high?
Many people have asked me this question and for me it was a matter of time. I needed something new, a new routine, a new environment and a new training programme if I wanted to improve myself. You find the same with tennis players, swimmers or golfers. At some point in their careers, they too change coaches in order to improve their performance.

You were unbeatable between 2003 and 2009, winning every major competition before suffering a shock defeat at the 2009 World Outdoor Championships in Berlin. What was the reason for the poor show?
I have answered this question too many times before and all I can say is that I am not a machine or a robot. I am human and to repeat performances every year and every single time is very demanding and at some point you will encounter bad days when it is not meant to be. I learned from that experience. Even though it was a bad experience, I learned from it and that led to me taking that break last summer from competitions to recharge myself and re-focus on these next three years.

Injuries have been a part of any world class athlete and you are one among them. Tell us how do you overcome them?
As I get older, like every athlete, we have to take better care of ourselves and listen even more to our bodies and watch what we do. Over the years, I can say that I have been very fortunate not to have very serious injuries. Over time, muscles and tendons become tight, sore or strained, but with a good support group around me — a good coach, trainer, good nutritionist, good massage therapist — to make sure physically I am healthy, then all should be fine.

Your mentor did not respond to your first call. And you called him again and asked for forgiveness. What were the differences?
I think he knew that I needed his support and that we had many great experiences in the past. And I believe both of us know that we can do many great things now in the future.

Any time during the bad patch in your sporting career, did you think of calling it quits?
No, never. I have, of course, had periods when I was not happy about training, my competitions or my performances. But there has never been a moment that I can recall when I wanted to quit. I don’t quit. My goals remain as clear as the first day I started. I have not achieved my goals yet. So I am still very motivated and very hungry to attain them.