Yelena Isinbayeva’s name rises, grows and triumphs with Russia.The best pole vaulter in history is A regular part of the Russian regime’s international propaganda operationsattend events and press conferences with Vladimir Putin. Meetings, trust, and intimacy seem to be synonymous with mutual admiration for leaders. This event in Volgograd was carried out by institutions of the country, whose image was widely popular. Wearing military uniform to accept state appointment Become a part of CSKA, an army club.
That proximity led her to one of the most controversial moments of her career, when the athlete decided to defend Putin’s homophobic policies on the eve of the 2013 Athletics World Cup in Moscow. LGBTBI couples are asked not to show any form of intimacy in public: “If we allowed them to advertise and do all these things in the streets, we would be very worried about our country because we think of ourselves as normal. We are just men and women, women and men living together“. Later, he said he wanted to qualify his words, noting that he meant “people should respect the laws of other countries, especially when they are guests.”
The confidence of top Russian officials is so great that in 2020, Isinbayeva appointed to Russia’s constitutional reform committee to ensure Putin remains in power. ““I’ve never read the Constitution, but now that I’ve read it, I find it interesting.”, he admitted with a smile from the former president during the first meeting broadcast on public television. During the sanctions against Russian athletics, She became the person designated by the president to receive him and cried with him Pleading at a press conference to lift the veto and defend the innocence of most Russian athletes.
back His last public appearance in Russian team gear was at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022, just days before Russia invaded Ukraine, some changes have taken place in Isinbayeva.At the same time as the military operation, Yelena disappear from public view Like many others close to the Kremlin, they are trying to escape the spotlight of intense criticism and sanctions over Russia’s war actions.
Skydivers leave Russia by plane, Removed from his social networks photos of him with Vladimir Putin, which were posted along with the hashtag #PutinTeam used during the election and headed to his new destination. Has he decided to go into exile?
March 10, 2022 Less than 20 days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Isinbayeva obtained a Spanish residence permit Thanks to immigration lawyer Gonzalo Vellojín Barrios for his work. The photo, posted on the Colombian lawyer’s Facebook profile, appeared to confirm the Russian track and field legend had decided to leave his country.The most eye-catching part of this photo is the group photo of the two of them At the outbreak of the war with Russia, the former athlete was shown with a Ukrainian flag behind him. Now, in his home country, only standing next to the Ukrainian flag is punishable, so it seemed like a break with the past and a warning to sailors. The swift takeover of the Spanish newspaper angered dissidents in the Russian state, who accused Spain of providing asylum to Putin’s “friends”.
Despite some tumultuous months, the movement The International Olympic Committee decided to remove it from the list of members of the General Assembly Putin gives him military title and the failure to speak out against the war. Even in a news report of this scale, Isinbayeva did not publicly express her position, but seemed to be swallowed by the earth.
A few months have passed since arriving in Spain no communication The athlete has begun to arouse suspicion among senior Russian officials. Did he seek refuge in the media or decide to “betray the country”?They also haven’t posted anything on their social networks His foundation’s activities appear to be on hold in disseminating their work. Isinbayeva was once one of the great faces of state propaganda, but why she decided to leave the regime remains a mystery.
On July 17, he published a statement on his Instagram account in which he decided to distance himself from his entire past, and the answer seemed to surprise the world. “I am a citizen of the world, I have always been and will continue to be (…). I am not, and have never been, a member of the Russian Armed Forces. I have never been a member of the Russian Parliament and am not a member of any political party“She wrote some words in Spanish and it seemed like a message that she was taking on board and wanting to leave behind in her new country.”Photos from 10 years ago have nothing to do with today’s reality“.
A sentence from the same message caused even more damage in Russia: “I am a peace loving person.I was and always will beResigning to defend Putin’s actions and seeking to erase any connection to her origins has angered Russia’s leaders, who feel betrayed by their idol. It appears the athlete has decided to leave and not return. The government decides to remove the name of a stadium located in the Dagestan region: “A pavilion in Spain is named in honor of Isinbayeva“, said Sergei Melikov, a political official in the region.
Your new life in Tenerife
Relevo followed Isinbayeva around the island, talking to people who share the daily lives of someone who was once one of the world’s most recognized athletes and now seeks anonymity. recent, Join one of the most modern gyms in the south of TenerifeLocated in Adeje, this place with an area of more than 1,000 square meters has become his second home and where he spends most of his time every day. There, she goes there every day as if she’s still the elite athlete beloved by the track and field world, and that’s the message gym staff and colleagues convey to Relevo: “She’s a super disciplined girl, very punctual.” Her Training, never missing her classes. “.”
Although she is one of the best athletes in history, with two Olympic gold medals and three outdoor world championships, she is trying not to draw attention to herself in her new life away from Russia. “She’s trying to be very discreet, which is why she doesn’t interact with a lot of people,” One person who shared her training room told us, noting that her daily routine was repetitive: “He just comes, trains, and then leaves.”What do you train for? It seems that she continues to take good care of her physique: “We have three different training areas: bodybuilding, functional and boxing. I have seen her training in all three areas.”
“He is a very simple person and very friendly to others.”
No matter how hard she tries not to be noticed, Isinbayeva will always be Isinbayeva, and many people she encounters in her daily life recognize her, and as someone who has been an elite athlete for over 20 years, She knows how to stay calm and present herself. near. “He was a very simple man, very kind to others, very respectful and calm,” Another gym buddy told us, “Yes“She was always very friendly when people asked to take a picture with her.”
Isinbayeva also frequents a tennis club near her home, where she takes her two young children to practice. The former athlete and her husband, former javelin thrower Nikita Petinov, can often be seen picking up their children after class. “She was a good mother with her children and a good person”insists one regular who shares the court with her.
Luxury homes above 1 million euros
Yelena Isinbayeva has been in Tenerife for several months, but she seems to have prepared a “shelter” for a long time. October 2018according to data from the Spanish Land Property Registry released by Russian activist Georgy Alburov, Bought his first home in the city of Arona in the south of the island, owns a luxury penthouse worth 1 million euros, owned by Yelena herself and her husband, who is bound by the institution of marriage. At the time, it appeared to be simply the acquisition of a vacation home due to its close ties to the then-Russian regime.
Coincidence or not, Isinbayeva and her husband bought a second home on the same islandthis time in Costa Adeje, on February 11, 2022 or the same time, Eleven days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine begins. This is a house in the urbanization Villa Insigne, valued at €971,635, with private swimming pool and elevator. This is thanks to a 25-year mortgage from a major Spanish bank for €528,646.
In luxurious surroundings and virtually unnoticed, the athlete seeks a normal life away from Russian propaganda, military uniforms and past activities associated with Vladimir Putin. Apart from, “Still far from revenge“As one of her neighbors told us. But has she severed all ties with Russia? Only she, Putin and the Russian government know.
Regardless, Isinbayeva’s silence appears to be working against her internationally, as The IOC has concluded its investigation into her and reinstated her to her position on the Athletes’ Commission.. Despite following a strategy of keeping a low profile and minimizing time spent in public, One of two absences from meeting of Olympism’s top body Gathering in Mumbai (India) these days is certainly an attempt to avoid speaking or not answering the questions that await him. Coincidentally, another absentee was also Russian Shamil Tarpishev.
