The IAAF 2010 World Athlete of the Year, Blanka Vlasic Competes in New York for the First Time

Being good at anything is admirable but to be a world champion athlete is a remarkable accomplishment since everyone from Mother Earth is vying for that one spot.  Blanka Vlasic (28), the high jump world champion of 2008 and 2009 from Croatia, is now in New York for the first time competing with world class athletes:  Among the athletes competing this Saturday (6/11) is Tyson Gay of the US, he is the second fastest man in the world. The event called the adidas Grand Prix, will take place at the Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island from noon to 6:30 PM. Blanka took questions from a slew of reporters covering the event. Several things can be concluded about Blanka from pre-event interview: She is confident, mature, tall, pretty, fit, pleasant, and a world champion.

Although Blanka has won numerous competitions including a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics, she intends to keep competing internationally. “I had many accomplishments in my sport over the years and one of the highlights of my career was to win the IAAF athlete of the year this past year. Emotionally I feel that my journey is not complete, there is more personal challenges I need to undergo in my sport. Track and field is greatly about numbers and results but a competitive event is also a show. I usually let all my emotions out, it’s an interaction between me and all who are present. In my private life I tend to be more introspective and shy but not during a competitive event,” said the graceful lady of sport.

Blanka Vlasic’s personal best jump was 2.08 meters (approx. 6.87 feet), just one centimeter away from the world record. “My easiest title win was my first win, after that everything became more difficult because the pressure to win and perform to my personal best increased substantially.  One of my personal disappointments was Beijing, but your failures make you stronger if you let them.” You can tell that Blanka is in a constant battle with trying to be the best she can be, which is an ongoing state when it comes to high performance and achievements. It is with maturity and experience that the unity between the mind and body becomes more attainable, this can be described as being in the zone during athletic performance. “My father Joško is my most important coach. When I was young I used to battle with him, now we know what each one is thinking.  It’s a blessing to have someone in your corner like that”, said the well spoken athlete who’s very comfortable with the English language.  Blanka is glad to have a fellow Croatian, Sandra Perković (discus) compete alongside her. We wish you much success and happiness Blanka! Come and cheer them on this Saturday.