US Edition 
Yelena Isinbayeva tops lot with 24th pole vault world record at the Beijing Olympics
There was a world record for Yelena Isinbayeva and another missed medal opportunity for Britain in Beijing last night, and both came with an air of predictability.
Isinbayeva has been breaking the pole vault world record throughout her career. She has broken it three times this year and this, her 24th record, came with her second Olympic title.
The 26-year-old Russian was already assured of victory over her American rival, Jenn Stuczynski, when she made two unsuccessful attempts at 5.05? metres to eclipse the mark set only last month in Monaco. Yet the manner in which she finally sailed over the bar suggested that the record will go again before this summer is out.
It was the third world record set in the Bird's Nest Stadium, with the athletics programme only four days old. Greg Rutherford, meanwhile, missed a great opportunity to be the first British athlete to reach the podium after a poor performance in a very average long jump competition.
Victory went to the world champion, Irving Saladino, who won Panama's first Olympic gold medal with a jump of 8.34m. Khotso Mokoena, of South Africa, won the silver medal with 8.24m and Ibrahim Camejo, of Cuba, was third, leaping 8.20m.
The bronze-medal mark was the distance Rutherford jumped to qualify for these Games, and yet his best here was 7.84m. Before that he registered a foul and a run-through the sand.
Rutherford, who was eliminated after three rounds, said: "I had thoughts of having the first British athletics medal in Beijing but that was a wasted opportunity for me."
It was not all gloom for Britain, however. Sarah Claxton, one of 13 athletes in the team not funded by the Lottery, made it through to today's 100?m hurdles finals, while Martin Rooney and Andrew Steele both won their 400m heats. Rooney, in particular, is now being talked up as a medal hope.
Tasha Danvers, whose selection was questioned, also qualified for tomorrow's 400m hurdles final with a fine run in her semi-final. The United States-based athlete, who missed the last Games when she became pregnant, was the third-quickest qualifier in a season's best 54.31sec.
In the women's 800m, Pamela Jelimo, the 18-year-old from Kenya, won gold in a time of 1min 54.87sec, a national and world junior record.
The United States finally began to make their mark when Stephanie Brown Trafton – whose mother hails from the Isle of Wight – won the discus and Angelo Taylor regained the 400m hurdles title he won in 2000.