In an intense battle with Svetlana Feofanova, Dragila prevailed to regain her champion status in the women's pole vault on Monday (Aug. 6) at the World Track & Field Championships in Edmonton. Dragila and Feofanova each cleared a championship record 4.75 meters/15-7. Dragila won the gold on fewer misses. Monika Pyrek of Poland was third at 4.55m/14-11.
Dragila is also is the reigning Olympic champion. "It was a great competition," Dragila said to the press covering the meet, according to the USA Track and Field Association. "I knew being over in Europe for five meets, competing against Svetlana and Monika, that it was going to come down to some serious bars today. I'm just lucky to stay one step ahead of everybody again."
History was made at the meet when four women cleared 4.55m in the same competition – Dragila, Feofanova, Pyrek and Olympic silver medalist Tantiana Grigorieva. But from then on, it came down to a two-person battle with Dragila and Feofanova squaring off.
Both women cleared 4.60m/15-1 on their first attempts. Dragila cleared 4.65m/15-3 on her second try. It took Feofanova three attempts before she made that height. Both women cleared 4.70m/15-5 and 4.75 on their first attempts. Neither made their attempts at a world record 4.82m/15-9.75, which would have brought with it a $100,000 bonus.
In the women's 100 meters, reigning Olympic champion Marion Jones lost for the first time in four years. Zhana Pintusevich-Block, the 1997 world 200 meter champion, burst out of the blocks with a reaction time of .123 seconds, opening up a gap that Jones could not make up. Jones put up a fight and began closing on Pintusevich-Block at end of the race but she ended up second in 10.85 seconds.
Pintusevich-Block was golden, crossing the finish line 10.82. Olympic silver medalist Ekaterini Thanou of Greece was third in 10.91. Two other Americans had respectable finishes. Chryste Gaines (11.06) and Kelli White (11.15) fifth and seventh, respectively.
Previously, Jones had beaten Pintusevich-Block in a photo finish for Jones's first world title in 1997. Jones was coming off a stellar Olympic appearance in which she won five medals and three golds, including one in the 100.
Jones suffered her first defeat to Pintusevich Block in the semifinals. Jones clocked 10.95 to Pintusevich-Block's 10.94. Gaines advanced by grabbing fourth in the race in 11.12. In the other semifinal, White ran 11.19 to place third and Angela Williams was sixth in 11.31.
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