Pole vaulter Fabiana Murer had to overcome her biggest adversary to win Brazil's first athletics gold medal at the XV Pan American Games -- that's herself.
When American April Steiner failed to vault the 4.55-meter high bar, Murer decided to take on the 4.60m. She succeeded in her attempt, breaking the Pan American record for women's pole vault, which stood at 4.40m.
But it was still not enough for the 26-year-old athlete, who wished to clear the 4.68m mark, up two centimeters from her own record. However, it was not the time yet to get closer to the world No. 1 Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, who holds the 5.01m mark. Murer currently occupies the fourth position in the ranking, following Poland's Monika Pyrek and another Russian, Svetlana Feofanova.
Her place on the top of the podium was guaranteed anyway, and she could hear the entire Joao Havelange Olympic Stadium, recently inaugurated for the Pan Am Games, call her "champion".
The vaulter revealed that she felt "very nervous" in the beginning of the tournament, especially because she was competing at home, which demanded more concentration.
All the fans' yelling to motivate her could have in fact harmed her performance, she pointed out. But she admitted that the participation of the public ended up helping her win the medal, as she believes that the boos did affect her adversaries.
"I do not like this boo thing very much, but that is the fans' way, isn't it?" said Murer, who regarded the victory at the Games as "the season's beginning," as she is leaving for Europe to practice for the World Championship, which will take place in a month's time in Osaka, Japan.
Source: Xinhua
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