The most dominant female high jump athlete in the world is going to have a tougher time than usual defending her crown at the 2011 World Track & Field Championships in Daegu, Korea this year. Blanka Vlasic is slender as ever at 165 pounds towering at six feet four inches, and has as much swagger as the Usain Bolt or Niki Minaj. But this Croatian’s dominant attitude is more than justified by her dominance in the pit, that being the high jump pit, as her sleek figure and explosive power has earned her the #1 ranking in the world coming into Daegu and five of the top twelve heights recorded this year. But the 27 year old has a long storied history at international competitions, starting at the World Junior Championships, and qualifying for her first Olympic Games as a sixteen year old in Syndney back in 2000. Since then she has undergone surgery for her hyperthyroidism in 2005, and made a comeback in 2007. Until the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Vlasic had been undefeated for 34 competitions, but had to settle for a silver medal. Since Beijing, however, she has won gold in every major international competition, making her almost a shoe-in for gold this week at Worlds.
There’s just one problem- Vlasic has reported a partial muscle tear in her left leg during practice last week, and will have to compete hindered by this injury. With that much talent and ability, she still may be able to go home to Croatia with gold, but that means that her competition is going to have to be much more about being smart rather than about being tough. Of course, any international athletics competition is going to be more than tough, but technique, technical skill, and listening to the body’s cues are absolutely essential to getting through competitions with injury. This will make the World Championships high jump competition much more competitive for first place- rather than granting Vlasic the win and everyone else trying to get as close as possible and compete for the last two remaining medaling positions. Her main concern, however, is most likely that she doesn’t want to worsen the muscle tear any further as to inhibit her training for the 2012 London Games, where she’ll seek redemption for her silver from Beijing and go all out for Gold. The 2011 World Track & Field Championships women’s high jump qualifying rounds are on Wednesday, while the final will take place Saturday.
