European Athletics (EAA) – News – Vlasic still not recovered from operation

Croatian high jumper Blanca Vlasic, who missed the 2012 European Athletics Championships and the Olympic Games through injury, is still having problems with an injury she sustained last year, but is determined to continue her career for as long as possible: “Now in October I still have not recovered from the operation I had in January,” she told the Croatian media this week.

Vlasic won the European title in Barcelona 2010 and last year clinched silver at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, but this year has been unable to compete following surgery in the new year: “We are in October now, but I have still not recovered. They told me it would only take two months. This is the most difficult period of my career. It’s just one big nightmare,” she said.

“I have been training more than ever and only this has stopped me from losing my mind.

“My father says that after ten years of monotonous work, it is even good to take a step back in order to then take two steps forward. But I can only look at a future when I take my first jump and nothing hurts anymore.”

After taking her second world title in Berlin 2009, Vlasic went on a few days later to come close to the world record with her leap of 2.08 in Zagreb. At that stage it was fully expected that she would eventually go on to beat Stefka Kostadinova’s 25 year old mark of 2.09 and finally get an Olympic gold in 2012.

But then injury intervened.

Talking about her long-term plans Vlasic speculated: “In 2020 I will be 37. Maybe by then my body will not be able to handle the load, but maybe at 40 I will still feel like a 30-year-old.”

European Athletics (EAA) – News