Isinbayeva retires, says God will judge IAAF

Double Olympic pole vault Champion, Yelena Isinbayeva, announced her retirement on Friday at a combative news conference where she said God would be the judge of whether athletics' governing body, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was right to exclude Russia from the Rio Games.

Yelena Isinbayeva won the gold medal in 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.

Double Olympic pole vault Champion, Yelena Isinbayeva, announced her retirement on Friday at a combative news conference where she said God would be the judge of whether athletics' governing body, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was right to exclude Russia from the Rio Games.

"Today in Rio on August 19, 2016, Yelena Isinbayeva is finishing her professional career, this is my statement," she told reporters.

"I'm very happy that I fulfilled my dreams, I won all possible medals, all possible titles, I won the trust and love of all the fans in the world."

On the decision by the IAAFto ban Russia's track and field team in the light of an independent report on state-sponsored doping, she said: “I will forgive them and God will be their judge.”