Reigning double world champion Blanka Vlasic has admitted that heading into this year’s World Athletics Championships as favourite to win a third gold in the women’s high jump was a “big pressure”.
The Croat claimed the world titles in both 2009 and 2007 in Berlin and Osaka, those victories sandwiching a silver at the Beijing Games, and also heralding two world indoor triumphs.
And she will go into the August 27-September 4 worlds in Daegu, South Korea, as one of the world’s leading athletes.
“It’s much harder that people think that I’m the favourite than when you’re not favourite,” acknowledged Vlasic, speaking to the Laureus website, www.laureus.com.
“If nobody counts on you in competitions then you can just be free of pressure. But ever since 2007, I’m dealing with this pressure of great expectations.
“And when you add to that my expectations, it’s a huge ball of expectations that is of course making a big pressure.
“I think that being experienced means that you can handle this pressure and every year it’s easier.
“But of course when you’re talking about World Championships it never gets too easy. It’s always a big meet, it’s always a huge stress.
“It doesn’t matter how many World Championships you’ve been in before and how many gold medals you have, every time is like the first time and you know it’s only one meet and what happens in that two hours happens and it’s finished.”
The 27-year-old said that she was aiming to improve on her form from last year, when, although not at 100 per cent, she still managed to bag the European title even though she described the season as her “hardest ever”.
“Something was wrong last year definitely, because the year before I jumped 2.08 metres and last year only I jumped 2.05,” Vlasic said.
“So this year I would like to improve the level of results regarding last year and of course the World Championships is the most important competition in this year.”
Vlasic added that she was not thinking too far ahead, although admitting that to be crowned Olympic champion remained a dream.
The London Games in 2012 was “a focus, (but) it’s like I’m not thinking about that too much,” she said.
“The most important competition for me is my next competition. And in that way I’m just keeping myself calm and what would it be like if I started thinking about London now?
“To think about it for one year, all the time, you just go crazy and you come there and just you’re like emotionally empty completely. So I will think about London when it comes.”
She added: “Being Olympic champion is, I think, the dream of every athlete. It’s one of my few dreams.
“One of my few goals. And it’s very hard because it’s only every four years. That’s what makes it special.”
Vlasic came within one centi-metre of Stefka Kostadinova’s world high jump record of 2.09m, which has stood since 1987, but she was adamant that breaking that mark was realistic.
“A world record motivates me, of course, but I’m not obsessed about it,” she said.
“I’m just waiting for that perfect meet.”
Tellingly, Vlasic added: “If I have to choose between a world record and an Olympic gold, I would probably say world record.
“There are so many Olympic champions and only one world record holder.”