Yelena Isinbayeva may hold the world record in the pole vault, but she is not patient or selfless enough to coach, she said Monday.
Men’s world record holder Sergei Bubka has become an illustrious coach since his retirement, even training Isinbayeva at times, but she admitted she couldn’t follow his career path.
“I wouldn’t be a great coach just because I wouldn’t have enough patience for my students,” she said.
“I’m such a short-tempered and impatient person that I need everything now.”
Isinbayeva praised the selfless dedication of her longtime coach Evgeny Trofimov and said she could not hope to match it.
A good coach must “24 hours a day think not about himself, not about his family, but about his pupil, like my coach does,” she said.
“I simply couldn’t do that.”
Double Olympic champion Isinbayeva put aside thoughts of retirement after winning bronze at London 2012 and is now focusing on leaping at home in Russia at the world athletics championships in Moscow next year.
