Yelena Isinbayeva is the overwhelming favourite to achieve gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and her recent world-record-breaking jump of 5.04m has done nothing to suggest otherwise. Her nearest competition is US athlete Jennifer Stuczynski and fellow Russian Svetlana Feofanova, but it would take a huge upset to prevent Isinbayeva from achieving a successive gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. She has now set her sights on a more long-term goal of setting the greatest number of world records, a title currently held by retired Ukranian pole vaulter Sergey Bubka. With Isinbayeva’s imperious form and proven success in this event, no one would bet against her coming closer to Bubka’s record by the completion of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

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