BIRMINGHAM (England), March 15: Olympic and world outdoor champion Stacy Dragila of the United States suffered a shock exit from the women’s pole vault competition at the world indoor championships when she failed to qualify on Saturday.

World record holder Dragila, who was expected to challenge Russia’s Svetlana Feofanova for the gold medal, opted to join the competition at 4.30 metres but failed to clear the bar in her three attempts and will not contest Sunday’s final.

Her failure was a huge disappointment for the American who was troubled by injuries last year but returned to set the world indoor record with a height of 4.78 metres at the U.S. indoor championships in Boston on March 2.

A clearly agitated Dragila, who won the world title in 1997, brushed past reporters as she left the National Indoor Arena saying: “What do you want to talk about? It was a bad day.”

European champion Feofanova, 22, reached the final by clearing 4.35 metres on her first attempt and is now the clear favourite to win the event after taking silver two years ago.

Her closest challenger is now likely to be compatriot and European silver medallist Yelena Isinbayeva, who beat Feofanova in Athens earlier this year.

Dragila, 31, regained the world indoor record at the start of the month from Feofanova, who cleared 4.77 metres on February 1 in the same Birmingham indoor arena. The American also holds the outdoor world record of 4.81 metres.

Dragila narrowly defeated Feofanova on misses in a dramatic competition at the 2001 world outdoor championships in Edmonton as both cleared 4.75 metres and recently said she was really looking forward to going head-to-head with the Russian here.—Reuters