SPLIT, Croatia – A capacity crowd of more than 6000 will be on hand Wednesday afternoon when world high jump champion Blanka Vlasic makes a rare competitive appearance in her Adriatic seaside hometown of Split.
The field at the second edition of the Slobodna Dalmacija Women’s High Jump Meeting includes Russian Anna Chicherova, the woman Vlasic beat into second place at the world championships last summer, but to the fans who will pack the Gripe Arena at this city’s biggest sporting event of the winter, along with those watching the live nationally-televised broadcast on Croatian TV, the only one who matters is the tall 24-year-old hometown heroine who has virtually single-handedly put her nation of 4.5 million on the world athletics map.
After four wins in as many appearances this winter, Vlasic will be aiming for her 20th consecutive victory. In all but one of those 19 competitions she’s cleared two meters or higher; the lone exception came at the rain-drenched World Athletics Tour meet in Zagreb last July 4.
Her initial target will be her own 2.04 world leader from seven days ago in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, and then presumably, her own national indoor record of 2.05, also set in the Slovak city in 2006. Should she manage to conquer Kajsa Berqvist’s 2.08 world indoor standard, organizers have promised a 20,000 EUR (USD 29,100) bonus.
Jumping with a slight injury near her right hip, Vlasic isn’t promising any records, but instead is simply relishing the opportunity to compete at what she’s often referred to as her favorite competition.
“If I was able to jump 2.02 in Karlsruhe on Sunday with the pain, I can certainly do the same here,” Vlasic said. "I have terrific adrenaline here. I hope the crowd will be very energetic."
Chicherova, her primary challenger, has competed just once indoors this season, finishing a distant sixth in Arnstadt, Germany, on Feb. 2 clearing 1.93. Also in the field is 30-year-old Ukrainian Vita Palamar, who has cleared 1.99 twice this season.
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