Blanka Vlasic is one of the world’s most renowned athletes known for her skills of high jumping. She is a national champion who debuted in Olympics when she was of just 16 years old. She has won several national and international championships including a silver medal in 2008 Olympic Games. Blanka was born on 8th November, 1983 in Split, a city in SFR Yugoslavia.
Born to athlete parents, Blanka was highly influenced by sports since she was a kid. She was born as one of four children born to international decathlete Josko Vlasic and seasonal basketball player Venera. Her father was the Croatian record holder in decathlon while her mother was partly involved in cross country skiing too. Blanka is very much focused on developing her career and in this process she has kept herself away from romantic relationships. She is now 30 years old and there are no reports of her dating anyone.
Born and raised in Spilt, Blanka was involved in sports since an early age. Being born in a family with strong sports person motivated her lot to pursue her career in sports too. Besides a sports woman, her mother, Venera, is also a physical education teacher who has played vital role in developing Blanka’s career. Above all, Blanka regards her father to be the greatest asset of her life who is now assisting in her career as a coach. While Blanka was a kid, she often used to visit running tracks. In those days, she wanted to become a professional sprinter. In her childhood, she has also tried her hands in sports such as tennis, volleyball, basketball, etc. Blessed with towering height of 6 feet and 4 inches, there were higher possibilities for her to get success in sports like basketball but she chose to become a high jumper. She was always very serious about sports and was highly dedicated towards it. It was her key quality which helped her in getting success in this field at a young age of 15. By the time she was 16, she set her personal best of 1.93 meters. Eventually, she started competing at international level. The first time she ever appeared in an international event was in 1999 World Youth Championships. The following year, she entered into the Olympic Games for the first time which was held in Sydney, Australia. Although her age did not allow her to compete with seniors, she succeeded to receive international fame by winning the junior championship. As a young athlete, she has competed in several international events such as 2001 World Championships, 2001 Mediterranean Games, 2002 European Indoor Championships, 2002 World Juniors, etc. During this period, she was widely known as one of the top ten junior high jumpers of the world. In 2003, she began competing as a senior athlete and she set her new personal best of 1.98 meter in the same year. She faced a huge failure during 2004 because of her deteriorating health condition. It was reported that she suffered from hyperthyroid condition for which she had to undergo a major surgery. She took a leave of almost two years, a time period in which she missed various major events. In 2006, she returned as strong as ever and achieved huge fame by setting national record of 2.05 meters. The same year, she also won a silver medal at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Indoor Championships. In her later career, she has won a number of international championships including 2008 Olympic Games held in Beijing. Blanka is a successful athlete and she has collected a huge net worth of around 1 million USD.
There is no doubt that Blanka is a world class high jumper. She has earned a huge fame and success in sports which is appreciated by everyone. Raised by athlete parents, Blanka got chance to work on her career since she was a child.
Blanka has established herself as one of the world’s best high jumpers. She has won several national and international championships and has set a national record as well. Despite facing critical health problems, she managed to be the best in the event. She is a truly a sports star.