Yelena Isinbayeva is a talented pole vault competitor, but she didn’t start out in track and field. From age 5 to 15, she trained as a gymnast. However, she ended up having to leave because as she grew older, she grew taller as well.

She was eventually considered too tall for gymnastics. However, the five foot nine inch beauty took up pole vaulting and hasn’t looked back.

Isinbayeva will be attending her second Olympics games this year and stands as the favourite in women’s pole vault. She has proved herself to be one of the most successful athletes of her generation, owning 34 of the top 50 marks in the history of the event.