( CNN ) -- There are few sports that are so dominated by a single person like the way the women 's pole vault is ruled by 26-year Russian Yelena Isinbayeva . Eyes on the prize : Yelena Isinbayeva has often complained about a lack of real competition in her event . Every time the world and Olympic champion competes it is expected that she will spring to new heights and push women 's pole-vaulting to new levels . She has broken the world record 16 times , almost equaling the feat of the great Sergey Bubka , who broke the men 's outdoor pole vault record 17 times between 1984 and 1994 . Since jumping to her first world record in 2003 and becoming the first woman to jump over 5-meters in 2005 she as also become something of a glamorous sporting celebrity . After setting five new world records in 2005 , it took almost three years for her to set a new mark of 5.04m in July 2008 , a fallow period that made her pursuit of world records a personal matter . After setting her world record mark in July this year at a competition in Monte Carlo , she told press : `` I wanted to improve my personal best and that 's what I did . I see this world record as a personal one . '' A driven and focused competitor , she has also become famous for her coolness under pressure . Before her latest world record jump she was driving around the track in the back of a vintage car with sprinter Asafa Powell , while her fellow competitors had already started the competition . Not shy of media and publicity , her sporting achievements , athleticism and looks have made her a pin-up for women 's athletics and attracted a number of big-name sponsors . While her achievements can be allied to that of Bubka it has been noted that her media- and sponsor-friendly attitude makes her more akin to compatriot Maria Sharapova . Her celebrity status is a world away from her modest background . Born in Volgograd in 1982 it was only until a couple of years ago that she lived with her parents and younger sister in the city of her birth , before moving to Monte Carlo . She trained first of all as a gymnast until the age of 15 when her coach decided she was too tall . Commentators and fellow competitors have noted that her gymnastic training has helped give her an extra edge in the event . After defending her title in Beijing , her place in the sporting pantheon of great female athletes seems secure . While emulating Bubka , Isinbayeva has said before that closing the gap between the heights the men and women can jump is another of her personal challenges , and with her own talent and the help of Bubka 's former coach she may go a long way towards achieving that .
World and Olympic pole vault champion Maria Isinbayeva in her sport . Has broken the world record five times since 2000 ; first woman to clear 5 m . Female - friendly training and talent have made her very bankable sports start .