Isinbayeva and Lavillenie improve their World season leads in Donetsk

Yelena Isinbayeva sets a World Record of 5.06m in the pole vault in Zurich (Getty

Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva and Renaud Lavillenie of France were victorious at tonight’s (12) Samsung Pole Vault Stars meeting in Donetsk, Ukraine, improving their 2011 world season leads in the process, respectively 4.85m and 5.93m.

Double Olympic champion Isinbayeva began her competition at 4.60m, a height which she cleared on her first attempt, and then was also successful at her first approach at 4.75 which took the win. A second time success at 4.85m followed, a great day for the 28-year-old as it improved her World season lead of 4.81 which she had established last Sunday (6) in Moscow. That had been her comeback meet after a long sabbatical from competition which began after her fourth place defeat at the 2010 World Indoor Championships (14 March 2010).

The World record holder, indoors and out, then asked for the bar to be raised to a World indoor record of 5.01, which would have improved her mark of 5.00m which she set in Donetsk on 15 February 2009, but it was not to be today and after three attempts her competition ended.

Second place was taken by Anna Rogowska, Poland's reigning outdoor World champion who was successful at 4.70, while Czech Jirina Ptacnikova with 4.60 was third.

Four other vaulters also managed 4.60, and finished in the following order, 2009 World silver medallist Monica Pyrek (Poland), 2010 European outdoor champion Svetlana Feofanova (Russia), 2011 World Indoor gold medallist Fabiana Murer (Brazil), and Russian Yuliya Golubchikova, the 2009 European Indoor champion.

In the men’s competition, France’s European champion and Samsung Diamond Race winner Renaud Lavillenie was successful at 5.93m, adding one centimetre to the world lead he had established in Aubière, France on 15 January.

Ukraine’s 2010 European outdoor silver medallist Maksym Mazuryk, whose previous 5.81m indoor career best came with his victory in Donetsk in 2008, finished second with 5.88m. Czech Michal Balner, injured while attempting 5.82, finished third with 5.70m. Former World and European Indoor champion Igor Pavlov of Russia also cleared 5.70.