Anshela Balachonova

Anzhela Anatolijiwna Balachonowa ( Ukrainian Анжела Анатоліївна Балахонова , English transcription Anzhela Balakhonova ; born December 18, 1972 in Shakhtarsk , Ukrainian SSR ) is a former Ukrainian pole vaulter who became her first female athlete in 1998.

After Balachonowa had started as a teenager with rhythmic gymnastics, she turned to athletics. She only started pole vaulting in 1996, but thanks to her gymnastic training quickly rose to the top of the world. In 1996 the pole vault was held for the first time at major championships, namely at the European Indoor Championships in Stockholm. Balachonowa took seventh place with 3.85 m, the victory height of the Icelander Vala Flosadóttir was 4.16 m.

A year later, the women's pole vault had its premiere at the World Indoor Championships in Paris . The American Stacy Dragila won with 4.40 m, Balachonowa was ninth with 4.00 m. At the Universiade 1997 in Catania , the Australian Emma George won with 4.40 m, Balachonowa was fourth behind the Austrian Doris Auer . 1997 Balachonowa improved the European record three times, most recently in Weissach im Tal to 4.36 m.

At the European Indoor Championships in Valencia in 1998 , she won with an indoor world record of 4.45 m in front of the Czech Daniela Bártová and Vala Flosadóttir, who both crossed 4.40 m. A week later, Bártová increased the indoor record to 4.48 m. Bártová and Balachonowa also fought a duel for the European record outdoors. Bartovás 4.51 m from June 9th remained standing until the end of the year. At the European Athletics Championships in Budapest in 1998, Bártová was eliminated in qualification. In the final, three jumpers jumped over 4.31 m. Because of the failed attempt rule, Balachonowa won ahead of the two Germans Nicole Rieger-Humbert and Yvonne Buschbaum .

In 1999 Balachonowa increased the European record from the previous year over 4.54 m at the Goodwill Games to 4.55 m in Saint-Denis . At the 1999 World Athletics Championships in Seville Balachonowa jumped up to 4.55 m all heights in the first attempt, but failed in contrast to Stacy Dragila at the world record height of 4.60 m, with which Dragila set the record of Emma George.

At the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 Balachonova failed with three failed attempts in the final. Balachonowa was Ukrainian champion in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005. She increased her personal best in 2004 to 4.57 m and was sixth at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens with 4.40 m.

Anshela Balachonowa is 1.62 m tall and weighed 55 kg in the competition.

literature

• Peter Matthews (Ed.): Athletics 2005. SportsBooks, Cheltenham 2005, ISBN 1-899807-27-6 .

Web links

• Anzhela Balakhonova in the database of World Athletics (English)
• Anshela Balachonowa in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )