In a worldwide ballot that received more than 1.9 million votes thanks to distribution through the websites of NBC Sports and USA Today, the 2009 U.S. Sports Academy female athlete of the year award has gone to 27-year-old Yelena Isinbaeva. Yelena is an amazing Russian pole vaulter, and I don’t guess I have to mention she is BEAUTIFUL! The ballots had 12 athletes, each with amazing resumes and accomplishments.
Yelena broke both the outdoor (16 feet, 6 inches or 5.06 meters) and indoor (16 feet, 4 inches or 5 meters) world records this year, to total 27 career broken records. She has become the first women to vault over 16 feet indoors, and I don’t think she is done yet! This year she also received the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year and the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports.