Pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva lands gold in Moscow world championships

Yelena Isinbayeva, the greatest ever woman pole vaulter, thrilled a partisan crowd by securing the third world title of her illustrious career before saying she was taking a break to have a baby.

The record-breaking Russian, twice Olympic champion and the first woman to clear the five-metre barrier, was the only vaulter to jump 4.89 metres, making a winning leap when it mattered most in an enthralled Luzhniki arena.

Her dominance of the sport she took to new heights with 28 world records, 15 outdoor and 13 indoor, has receded in recent years, but a season's best leap was good enough to secure gold.

"I'm the pole vault queen, the crowd is mine," the 31-year-old said. "This victory is the most precious won in all my career."

Isinbayeva, whose last global outdoor title came at the 2008 Olympics, had said she could retire after the championships but, after lengthy celebrations following her victory, said she would step away from the sport temporarily to become a mother.

"I'm not retiring for the moment, I'm just taking a break," she said. "I will have a baby next year and try to come back for the Rio Olympics."