Doha: Russian pole vault athlete Anzhelika Sidorova won gold medal at the World Championship on Sunday, officially as a neutral athlete.

    She competed with a muted uniform. Anzhelika Sidorova neutral status, awarded by track’s governing body after vetting of her drug test record allows her to compete internationally unlike most Russians but bans her from displaying any national symbols.

   At the medal presentation ceremony, the IAAF anthem played. The IAAF flag was raised. The fans in the sparse crowd even stood. “Of course I’m not really comfortable with it all, but I’m so happy, I was just so happy, I didn’t really think about it.” Sidorova said of her flag-free victory lap. Gold is gold, she added. Sidorova cleared 4.95 meters USA’s Sandi Morris was next best at 4.90 while Katerina Stefanidi of Greece took bronze with 4.85.

No female vaulter has cleared 4.95 at world championships since Russian Yelana Isinbayeva in 2005.