Isinbaeva, Richards Share Jackpot
Pole vault star, Elena Isinbaeva of Russia shared the $1-million jackpot with the U.S. runner Sanya Richards once they prevailed in all six meetings of this season’s Golden League.
Despite that winning the Golden League jackpot of $1 million calls for dominance in all six meetings of respective events, the prize has never remained without a holder in all years of existence. This year proved no exception, the more so that the first winner could be named once IAAF finally added pole vault to the competitions. By this move, IAAF actually turned into a sponsor for Olympics champ and world record breaker Elena Isinbaeva of Russia. In return, it got full stands secured by the most popular Russian, who has been unconquerable in the past three years.
Predictably, Isinbaeva prevailed in all six meetings of Golden League, dominating in Oslo, Paris, Rome, Zurich, Brussels and Berlin. By winning the Golden League, she repeated the achievement of triple jumper Tatiana Lebedeva. Until recently, Lebedeva had been the sole athlete of Russia with the Golden League jackpot. The only question was whether Elena would take the whole amount like Lebedeva or share it with anyone.
And she had to share. Sanya Richards of the United States needed just 49.27 seconds to run to victory in the 400-meter race and to beat world champ Christine Ohuruogu and Nicola Sanders.
The winners have different ideas about spending money. As to the Russian, she will share it again, this time with the poor kids, first of all living in her native town Volgograd.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 18, 2007
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