“Tatiana, can you tell us about your pajamas?”

“Yes, of course.”

So it was, with one, brief press conference exchange, that Tatiana-mania officially was unleashed on the Goodwill Games. Who knew bringing these Games to Australia would leave the track and field competition so vulnerable to the celebrity funnel cloud known as Tatiania Grigorieva?

Along with her chiseled spouse, the human action figure Viktor Chistiakov, Tatiana has elevated pole vaulting to a near national obsession. Already an Aussie-on-the-rise last year after posing for a commemorative magazine edition celebrating Olympians in various states of undress, the leggy native Russian then won a silver medal for her adopted homeland at the Sydney Olympic Games and has never looked back.

 Tatiana characterized as “pole vaulter” is as poor a description as, say, Anna Kournikova, “tennis player”.  She has presence, radiance, wit, charm and, now, pajamas. Tatiana and Viktor rolled out their signature “TVPJs” unisex jammies Thursday with a press conference, followed by an appearance and autograph session at the Goodwill Games Superstore near the banks of the Brisbane River

The five-minute stroll to the Superstore on a brilliant, sunny afternoon was a window on “being Tatiana”. She held hands with Viktor, a 6-7 ˝ vaulter to whom she was married in 1997. The drop-dead gorgeous blonde couple sauntered and waved, literally stopping traffic as they crossed an intersection against a changing light. Scurrying behind them was an entourage of handlers, security personnel, television camera crews and photographers.

It must have been a stroke of brilliance or luck, or both, that compelled them to move to Adelaide near southern Australia’s wine country, rather than the United States, where a pair of pole vaulters, no matter how photogenic, would be faces in the crowd.

Here they are celebrated because, as a reporter for The Australian newspaper told me, “we don’t have that many Olympic medallists in our country”. Indeed, when they showed up for the store appearance, waiting to greet them were Peter Beattie, the Premier of the state of Queensland, and former premier Wayne Goss, chairman of the local Goodwill Games organizing committee.

Tatiana is 25; Viktor 26, both young enough to continue their evolution as world-class performers. Off an injury-plagued season, she was fourth at the recent IAAF World Championships; he was 10^th. Here in Brisbane, Tatiana will face American Olympic and world champion Stacy Dragila, to whom she was second in Sydney. Women’s pole vault is scheduled next Wednesday (TNT Morning Show, live, 5-8 a.m.; Primetime Show, tape, 8-11 p.m.).

Along with their new line of pajamas, which come in five lively prints, Tatiana and Viktor are spokespeople for a sports nutritional supplement, Vital Force. He is co-starring in an Australian action film, Tempe Tip. Both list their occupations as “athlete/model”. Both maintain fan-friendly web sites with lengthy Q&A features.

Tatiana’s barrel-chested agent from Melbourne, Anthony Zammit, was nearby Thursday, proclaiming his client “the most successful Olympic silver medallist ever”, apparently unaware of a certain American figure skater named Nancy Kerrigan. Most athletes must continue to win to secure fame, but “I am happy to say Tatiana is the exception,” he said.

And she appears more than equipped to maximize her opportunities, quickly dismissing questions about the delicate balance serious training and stardom. “I am who I am,” she said. “If people find me sexy, I don’t mind.”

“MO” ANALYSIS: Olympic and world sprint champion Maurice Greene is not competing at the Goodwill Games in the 100 meters because of continued discomfort caused by a left quadricep injury. It was aggravated during Greene’s victory last month at the IAAF World Championships in Edmonton.

Greene, a Goodwill Games athlete ambassador during the build up to the 12-day event, has agreed to travel to Brisbane in a show of support. It is also possible he will be put to work. Turner Sports, producers of 83 hours of original Goodwill Games programming on TNT, is exploring the option of adding Greene to its broadcasting team at the ANZ track and field stadium.

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