Blanka Vlasic is one of the most popular athletes in our sport. An emotional competitor, tall of stature and possessing indefatigable spirit. From 2001 until 2015, Blanka Vlasic possesses one of the most impressive records of any high jumper. Her outdoor personal best, of 2.08 meters, dates to August 31, 2009, in Zagreb, Croatia. Blanka cleared 2.06 meters in Armstadt, Germany, for her indoor PB on February 6, 2010.
Blanka Vlasic, photo by PhotoRun.net
To me, however, one of most poignant interviews happened last year at the AREVA Paris meeting in 2014. Blanka Vlasic had been hurt in 2012. Her achilles surgery resulted in a serious infection. In 2013, Blanka Vlasic jumped healthy for the first time at the adidas Grand Prix in nearly eighteen months. Vlasic had ups and downs coming into 2014, and she wanted to clear two meters.
What inspires an athlete to compete at that level for over a decade? What inspires an athlete to take surgery and stay with an event she loves? That is the world of Blanka Vlasic.
If you can get to the adidas Grand Prix on June 13, 2015, you will get the chance to see the Croatian super star, in a wonderful environment. Don’t miss the meet!
Tickets for the Diamond League event, which is marking its 11th year of bringing the world’s top athletes to New York City, are on sale now at www.adidasgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877- 849-8722.
VlasÌŒicÌ, 31, of Croatia, also made her U.S. debut at this meet–in 2011, coming in ranked #1 in the world for four consecutive years (2007-2010). Owning the second-highest jump in history, VlasÌŒicÌ is also the 2008 Olympic silver medalist and in 2010 went undefeated in Diamond League competition on the way to being named the IAAF Female Athlete of the Year, alongside Rudisha. After missing the entire 2012 season to injury, she began her comeback at the adidas Grand Prix in 2013, tying the meet record with her emotional victory.
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One of the premier track-and-field events in the world, the adidas Grand Prix has hosted two World Records and 17 National Records in its first 10 years, and its fans have had the privilege of witnessing more than a dozen performances that were the fastest ever recorded on U.S. soil.
The seventh stop on the international IAAF Diamond League circuit, the adidas Grand Prix is in its 11th year at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, in conjunction with the Randall’s Island Sports Alliance. The latest news, photos and information on the event can be found at www. adidasgrandprix.com and here on Facebook and Twitter, @adidasgrandprix, #AGPNYC.
The adidas Group is a global leader in the sporting goods industry, offering a broad portfolio of footwear, apparel and hardware for sport and lifestyle around the core brands adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade and Reebok-CCM Hockey. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany, the Group generated sales of € 14.5 billion in 2013 and currently employs 54,000 people across the globe, including 5,472 in Germany (as at December 31, 2014).
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Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.
Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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by Larry Eder
