Russian pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva announced her retirement on Friday and claimed "God will judge" track and field's governing body for denying her the chance to compete at the Rio Games.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Isinbayeva, who was elected to the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) athlete's commission on Thursday, was hoping to reclaim the pole vault title she won in 2004 and 2008 this week in Rio.
But the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) decision to ban Russia's entire track and field team from the Rio Olympics in the face of evidence of massive systematic doping — less than two months before the games began — meant Isinbayeva was forced to miss Friday's final.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.