Helsinki, August 13:

For serial world record breaker Yelena Isinbayeva, the counting never ends. Isinbayeva set her 18th pole vault record with a jump of 5.01 metres to take gold at the world athletics championships and earn $160,000. Without even running, the gold-medal count stopped at two for Justin Gatlin as the US relay squad dropped the baton in its heat, robbing the 100 and 200 metre gold medallist of a chance to get a sprint triple. Gatlin’s close friend Allyson Felix immediately got the US team going again, however, winning the 200m ahead of teammate Rachel Boone-Smith, leaving France’s Christine Arron with bronze. Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner led another US 1-2 in the 400m, leading Andrew Rock with 43.93, the first sub-44 race of his life. Tyler Christopher of Canada took bronze. Isinbayeva doesn’t have to rely on anyone to be one of the sport’s biggest stars. The Russian didn’t miss a single height before she won gold at 4.70m. She then cleared 5.01m on her second attempt, winning $60,000 for gold and $100,000 for the record. She celebrated increasing her mark by one centimetre at the Olympic Stadium, deliriously pumping her fists in the air before doing a backward summersault.