Polina Knoroz: Russia’s Rising Star in Women’s Pole Vault
Full Name: Polina Alekseyevna Knoroz (Полина Алексеевна Кнороз)
Date of Birth: July 20, 1999
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Event: Pole Vault
Personal Best (Outdoor): 4.86m (August 10, 2025 – Kazan, Russia)
Personal Best (Indoor): 4.70m (February 21, 2021 – Moscow, Russia)
Current World Ranking: #15 in Women’s Pole Vault
Born to Run—And Jump
Polina Alekseyevna Knoroz was born on July 20, 1999, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, into a family where athletic excellence wasn’t just encouraged—it was in the bloodline. Her mother, Anna Knoroz (née Chuprina), was herself an accomplished track and field athlete who specialized in the 400-meter hurdles. Anna’s credentials are nothing short of remarkable: she won a gold medal as part of the Soviet Union’s 4x400m relay team at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, earned a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles at the 1994 European Championships, and represented Russia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Growing up under the guidance of a mother who had competed at the highest levels of international athletics gave young Polina both an early understanding of what elite sport demands and a living example of what dedication could achieve.
From an early age, Polina displayed a natural aptitude for sports. While other children her age were finding their footing in recreational activities, she was already showing the kind of focus and determination that would later define her career. Her childhood in Saint Petersburg—a city with a proud sporting tradition and well-developed athletics infrastructure—provided the perfect environment for her talents to take root.
Early Career and Youth Development
Polina’s formal introduction to pole vault came in 2014 when she was just fifteen years old, still attending school in Saint Petersburg. She began her training at the Academy of Athletics in Saint Petersburg (Akademiya Logkoy Atletiki), an institution known for producing talented track and field athletes. It was here that coaches Evgeniy Vladimirovich Smiryagin and Yulia Igorevna Smiryagina helped lay the technical foundation that would support her future success, focusing on the fundamentals of pole grip, plant, swing, and inversion that form the biomechanical core of the event.
Her progression through the junior ranks was swift and impressive. By 2015, at just sixteen, she had achieved the standard required for Master of Sports of Russia—a significant milestone that recognized her as an athlete of national caliber. Two years later, in 2017, she elevated her status further by qualifying as a Master of Sports of Russia of International Class, demonstrating that her development was accelerating beyond even the most optimistic projections.
The 2017 season proved to be a breakthrough year for the young vaulter. She captured the Russian Junior Indoor Championship and the Russian Youth Championship, establishing herself as the country’s most promising young pole vaulter. She also earned a bronze medal at the senior Russian Championships that same year—a remarkable achievement for an eighteen-year-old competing against the nation’s established stars. These results announced her arrival as a force to be reckoned with and hinted at the heights she would eventually reach.
The Road to Senior Success
The transition from junior to senior competition is often where promising careers stall, but Polina navigated this challenge with characteristic determination. Her breakthrough at the senior level came at the 2020 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships, where she cleared 4.65 meters to claim the silver medal. This performance marked her emergence as a genuine contender in elite Russian pole vaulting and validated years of technical refinement and physical development.
The 2021 season would prove to be a pivotal year in her career. Training now in Moscow under the guidance of coach Vladimir Ilyich Shulgin, she began to reach new heights both literally and figuratively. Shulgin, who had previously coached her first mentor Smiryagin, brought a fresh perspective and a positive coaching style that seemed to unlock something in Polina’s performances. As she later reflected, the transition was difficult emotionally—leaving the coaches who had raised her as an athlete—but she maintained warm friendships with her original mentors while embracing the new phase of her career.
In February 2021, she achieved her indoor personal best of 4.70 meters at Moscow’s Luzhniki Arena, demonstrating the improvement in her technical execution. Three months later, on May 29, she raised the bar again with an outdoor personal best of 4.75 meters at Moscow’s Znamenskikh Stadium. She also claimed the Russian U23 Championship that year, cementing her status as the nation’s top young pole vaulter.
But the highlight of 2021—and arguably the defining moment of her career to that point—came on July 4 at Stockholm’s Olympiastadion. Competing at the Bauhaus-Galan, a prestigious Diamond League meeting, Polina cleared 4.71 meters to win the women’s pole vault. This victory was remarkable on multiple levels: she defeated established international competitors including Great Britain’s Holly Bradshaw, Belarus’s Iryna Zhuk, Sweden’s Angelica Bengtsson, and Switzerland’s Angelica Moser. It was her first Diamond League victory and announced her presence on the global stage in emphatic fashion.
The young Russian’s 2021 season also included a second-place finish at the Meeting Città di Padova in Italy and a third-place showing at the International Golden Roof Challenge in Innsbruck, Austria. She qualified for the Diamond League finals at the Herculis meeting in Monaco, though she struggled to convert on the day. Nevertheless, 2021 represented a quantum leap forward in her international profile and competitive credentials.
Navigating Challenging Circumstances
The geopolitical landscape following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine created unprecedented challenges for Russian athletes across all sports. The World Athletics Council suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition, fundamentally altering the competitive landscape for athletes like Polina. To continue competing internationally, Russian athletes needed to apply for Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) status, meeting strict criteria including no active support for the conflict, full compliance with anti-doping regulations, and approval from the Doping Review Board.
Polina successfully obtained ANA status, allowing her to continue competing at select international events, though under significant restrictions: competing without national identification, wearing neutral uniforms, and having her results excluded from team scoring. The path to international competition became narrower and more uncertain, with approvals handled on a case-by-case basis.
Despite these obstacles, she continued to thrive domestically. The 2022 season saw her win the Russian Indoor Championships, followed by a silver medal at the summer outdoor edition. In 2023, she claimed another Russian Championship title, and in 2024, she added gold at the BRICS Games in Kazan to her growing medal collection, clearing 4.80 meters to set a new personal best and sweep the podium alongside fellow Russians Aksana Gataullina and Tatyana Kalinina.
The BRICS Games victory was particularly meaningful. As Russian athletes found themselves increasingly isolated from mainstream international competition, events like the BRICS Games provided crucial opportunities to test themselves against quality opposition. Her 4.80-meter clearance demonstrated that her form was continuing to improve despite the limited international exposure.
A Career-Defining 2025
The 2025 season has unquestionably been Polina Knoroz’s finest to date. In July, competing at the Cup of the Strongest Athletes in Brest, she cleared 4.83 meters—a performance that placed her third on the world seasonal rankings at the time, level with two-time Olympic medalist Katie Moon of the United States.
But she saved her best for the biggest domestic stage. On August 10, 2025, at the PSB Russian Track & Field Championships held at Kazan’s Central Stadium, Polina delivered a performance for the ages. Clearing 4.86 meters—a massive 11-centimeter improvement on her previous outdoor personal best—she secured her fourth Russian national outdoor championship and established herself as one of the world’s elite pole vaulters. The height ranked her third on the 2025 global seasonal list and pushed her to #15 in the World Athletics rankings.
She also competed at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September as an Authorised Neutral Athlete, though she did not reach the podium. The experience of competing on the world’s biggest stage, however, adds valuable experience as she continues her ascent in the sport.
Technical Profile and Training Approach
Standing approximately 1.72 meters (5’8″) with a lean, powerful build ideally suited for pole vaulting, Polina combines explosive speed on the runway with excellent technical execution through the vault phases. Her training regimen, developed in collaboration with coach Shulgin, emphasizes the triad of strength, agility, and precision that forms the foundation of elite pole vaulting.
One hallmark of her preparation is adaptability. When injuries have arisen, she has worked closely with medical staff to modify training loads while maintaining her competitive edge—a practical approach that has allowed her to sustain consistent performances across multiple seasons. Her training incorporates analysis of international competitions, including Diamond League events, to refine timing and strategy despite limited opportunities to compete at that level.
The coach-athlete dynamic between Polina and Shulgin appears to be particularly effective. She has described him as someone who tailors sessions to her personality and responds to her direct feedback with humor, maintaining motivation even through the grind of training. This collaborative relationship has clearly paid dividends in her improving performances.
Legacy and Inspiration
Polina has spoken openly about her admiration for Yelena Isinbayeva, the legendary Russian pole vaulter who holds both the world record (5.06m) and the Russian national record (5.01m) in the event. The connection goes beyond mere fandom: Isinbayeva represents the pinnacle of what a Russian pole vaulter can achieve, and Polina has been photographed with her idol on multiple occasions.
While Polina’s current personal best of 4.86 meters still trails Isinbayeva’s records by a significant margin, the trajectory of her improvement suggests that she has not yet reached her ceiling. A 20-centimeter improvement in personal best since her senior debut, combined with her consistent domestic dominance and proven ability to perform under pressure at international competitions, indicates an athlete still on the ascending phase of her career.
For aspiring young athletes in Russia and beyond, Polina’s journey offers valuable lessons: the importance of a strong technical foundation, the willingness to embrace change (as she did when transitioning to new coaching), and the mental resilience required to thrive despite external challenges beyond one’s control.
Career Highlights and Honors
National Titles:
- 4× Russian Outdoor Champion (including 2025)
- 3× Russian Indoor Champion (including 2022)
- Russian U23 Champion (2021)
- Russian Junior Indoor Champion (2017)
- Russian Youth Champion (2017)
International Achievements:
- Diamond League Meeting Winner – Stockholm Bauhaus-Galan (2021)
- Gold Medal – BRICS Games, Kazan (2024)
- World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 Competitor (as ANA)
Personal Records:
- Outdoor: 4.86m (August 10, 2025 – Kazan, Russia)
- Indoor: 4.70m (February 21, 2021 – Moscow, Russia)
Honors:
- Master of Sports of Russia (2015)
- Master of Sports of Russia of International Class (2017)
Personal Life
Away from the runway, Polina maintains an active presence on social media, where she shares glimpses of her training, competitions, and personal life with a devoted following. Her primary Instagram account (@polly_pv__) has accumulated tens of thousands of followers who follow her athletic journey and day-to-day life.
She comes from a close-knit family and has two sisters, including Mari Knoroz. Her father is reportedly a businessman in Russia. Despite her growing public profile, she has maintained a relatively private personal life, preferring to let her athletic achievements speak for themselves.
An avid traveler who enjoys exploring mountainous regions, Polina has also expressed a love of flowers—roses, in particular—and considers herself a fashion enthusiast who takes pride in staying fit and presenting herself well. She is known for her close friendship with fellow Russian athlete Ilia Tuzov, with whom she frequently appears in social media posts.
Looking Ahead
At just 26 years old, Polina Knoroz is entering what should be her prime competitive years. Her 4.86-meter personal best, achieved in August 2025, places her among the world’s elite, and her consistent improvement suggests higher clearances may yet be possible. The question of whether she can challenge the Russian record of 5.01 meters—or even approach the magic 5-meter barrier that only a handful of women in history have crossed—remains tantalizing.
The geopolitical situation continues to cast a shadow over her international prospects. The restrictions on Russian athletes’ participation in major championships and the Olympic Games represent a significant barrier to testing herself against the world’s best on the sport’s biggest stages. Yet she has demonstrated remarkable resilience in maintaining her form and motivation despite these challenges.
What remains clear is that Polina Knoroz has established herself as one of the most accomplished Russian pole vaulters of her generation and a genuine force in the global landscape of the event. Her combination of technical excellence, competitive fire, and personal resilience positions her well for whatever challenges—athletic or otherwise—the future may hold.
For fans of track and field, she represents one of the sport’s most compelling stories: a second-generation athlete carrying on her family’s proud tradition, overcoming obstacles beyond her control, and continuing to push the boundaries of what she can achieve. The journey is far from over.
Connect with Polina Knoroz
Instagram: @polly_pv__
World Athletics Profile: worldathletics.org/athletes/polina-knoroz-14623073
