Vlasic retired from competition earlier this year and admits she is still getting used to a life without competition. "I can't really remember when my last competition was here in Brussels, so that means it must have been a while ago," Vlasic said, speaking to the local media alongside current Olympic high jump champion Mariya Lastiskene.
"Right now I'm still looking for new challenges. My goal is definitely to stay in the sport. I have to admit I never really thought I would have to say goodbye from the athlete's life one day. But at a certain moment you have to listen to your body, because there's a life after sport. It took me a while to be able to confront that fear, but in life you can be more than just an athlete.”
Vlasic admits she's regularly reminded of her past career, with her appearances in Brussels a particular highlight. "I do miss it sometimes to be winning, as a person you get a lot of satisfaction out of that. I remember Brussels was always a real spectacle, it was an honour to take part here. I'm surprised at how emotional I can still get during high jump competitions. I watched the final in Tokyo together with family and friends.
"For athletes this period after the Olympics is not easy, just like after all the major championships. I always forced myself to take one night to celebrate and then focus on the second part of the season."
In her career Vlasic came within one centimetre of breaking Stefka Kostadinova's 2m09 world record. The Croatian is hoping the record will eventually change hands, but realises it's a tall order.
"Before the start of the pandemic I thought it was possible, especially for Mariya. But the lack of competition hasn't made it any easier. For Mariya and other athletes it's important to attack the record as often as possible. It's a psychological game and the high jump is really special. It doesn't make sense to show your best jump early in the competition."
Lasitskene: “I have a lot of respect for Thiam as an athlete"
After three world titles Mariya Lasitskene finally managed to grab an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. The relief was enormous for the Russian athlete, who competes under a neutral flag in anticipation of the Russian federation's reinstatement.
"I still can't believe I can call myself Olympic champion," Lastiskene said. "The value of that gold medal is uncountable. The preparation for Olympics was not ideal, because I had to deal with an injury and I was worried about whether I would be able to take part. After Rio there was a lot of pressure because I couldn't take part due to the Russian ban."
Friday will not be an easy competition, because everyone is ready to do well for the last events of the season. I feel good and it's nice to compete in full stadiums again. This is a totally different feeling than Tokyo, for example. There will also be extra attention for our competition because Nafi [Thiam] is taking part. I have a lot of respect for her as an athlete and she has a lot of support from the Belgian public."
Asked about Vlasic, Lastiskene said: "Blanka is a very big name in the sport. Unfortunately I haven't had a lot of opportunities to jump with her, because I started doing well when Blanka was getting injured. It's a big honour to sit next to her, especially because I follow her family as well. Her brother Nikola was playing for a Russian football club and just made a transfer to West Ham United, so it's a very talented family.
