Feofanova nurses hurt pride and a broken foot | 08.09.2012

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Svetlana Feofanova has been highly critical of the organisers and their placing of the pole vault pit on a windy day when she could not even get over a mark in the qualifying round. She even received some sympathy from the great Elena Isinbayeva's coach, Yevgeniy Trofimov: "I feel sorry for Feofanova. She was in great shape. It is almost impossible to jump into a wind like that. Besides, the pit was a disgrace. Athletes had to jump into a headwind and Sveta did that and broke her leg."

"Yes, I had a strange Olympics. No sooner did it start than it finished for me. I was in extremely good shape ready to jump 4.80 or 4.85," said Feofanova. "Maybe it was a little easier for heavier girls, I don't know. But the fact is the organisers got it wrong, I know for sure."

Jumping in group B Feofanova had two failures at 4.40 before taking her final failed attempt at 4.50. "First we were running into the wind, then it was at our backs. The organisers have to take some responsibility for this. It was not a wind you could ignore. For my height and weight the wind spelt death. My coach told me to just jump but it was like jumping into a wall."

It was on her second jump that Feofanova injured her foot in three places, but neither the team doctor nor a local doctor managed to detect the problem. Even after the qualifying round she had a CT scan and an MRI but nothing could be found. It was only when she arrived home that the damage became apparent: her right foot was broken in three places!

So now she is nursing her injuries and still bitter about the London Olympics: "The element of luck is always present in sport. But you put a lot of time and effort into four years of preparation. There is a lot at stake. If you win you could become rich on an Olympic title or end up like me, on your bare backside. And all because the organisers did not want to change the position of the pole vault."