Two-Time Olympic Champ Yelena Isinbayeva Among Four Vying For ARAF Presidency

Two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva "is among four candidates to register for an election to choose a new president" of the All-Russian Athletics Federation, the organization said on its official website, according to Dmitriy Rogovitskiy of REUTERS. Isinbayeva, 34, was among 67 Russian athletes ruled out of this year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro by the IAAF after a World Anti-Doping Agency report "uncovered systematic state-sponsored doping in Russia." Russian media said that Isinbayeva "is the frontrunner for the job." The other candidates are current ARAF President Dmitri Shlyakhtin, ARAF General Secretary Mikhail Butov and 2008 Olympics high jump champion Andrei Silnov. Isinbayeva "has a big reputation in Russia, where she is seen as a symbol of national sporting prowess" (REUTERS, 11/10).