Blanka Vlašić During the past 16 years, Superbrands organisation has awarded the strongest and best brands in Blanka achieved her first prominent result in 88 countries. In 2007 changes were introduced in the categorisation of awards. Superbrands 1999, when she took 8th place at the World Youth organisers concluded that it was high time, besides awarding product brands and companies in the Championship in Poland. The following Olympic world market, that they awarded public figures, who truly deserve it. year was magical and Blanka will remember it for The main focus of selection is based on products and companies that operate on the national her entire life. The history of athletics has rarely and international level. With the selection of persons, Superbrands organisation concentrates recorded an incredible series of personal record exclusively on the ones that became “super brands” with their own results and thus they have an improvement from 180 cm to the world 193 important status in the country, as well as on the international market. cm and the A standard for participation at the Sports and music are the two categories with representatives of the highest quality, the Olympic games in Sydney. With a jump of 192 Croatian super ambassadors in the world. This season, the jury chose a young and exemplary cm at the Olympic Games, she took 17th place Croatian sports icon. Completely justified, with impressive grades from the jury, Blanka Vlašić as the youngest participant (16). A month later gained the status Superbrands Croatia 2010. she became the world junior champion in Chile with a jump of 191 cm. In 2001, at the World Market professional staff in charge with jumping technique, Championship in Edmonton, she took the excellent Athletics is one of the oldest forms of sports and till the present he has been an important factor 6th place with a jump of 194 cm and in the contests, beginning with the original Olympic Games in Blanka’s development. same year she was 5th at the Goodwill Games in in ancient Greece to modern-day Olympic Games. Her father and personal trainer Joško Melbourne. In 2002 she won the fifth place at the Athletics developed in Croatia around the end determines all other parameters of the training Senior World Championship in Munich. The same of the 19th century. The first Croatian athletics process. Besides her father Joško, Bojan Marinović year she defended the title of the best junior on competition was held on 29 and 30 June 1878 on is an extremely important part of Blanka’s sports the World Junior Championship in Kingston with a the parade ground of the civil shooting range in development. All her training is reduced to thorough jump of 196 cm. In the indoor season of 2003 she Tuškanac, as a part of the gymnastics competition. work corresponding to her biological age, free of improved her personal record with a 198 cm jump In 20 very successful sports years, Blanka aspiration of achieving results too quickly. and the Croatian record by 4 cm. Vlašić became the finely polished jewel of Croatian She took 4th place at the Birmingham World athletics. Indoor Championship. The outdoor season began with a number of excellent results: she won the History Golden League competition in Paris with 199 cm, She was born in Split on 8 November 1983 as the while in Zagreb, on 7 July, she jumped 2 metres at first child in a sports family. Blanka’s sports talent the Hanžeković memorial. In Bydgoszcz, Poland she was recognised at her early age. She began athletics became the European champion up to 23 years of training with her father Joško, who then worked age with a result of 198 cm, whereas in Zürich, on as a coach in an athletic club. Her qualities were the Golden League meeting, she jumped 201 cm and speed and excellent coordination. She trained sprint, took second place at this “sacred” competition. hurdles, long and high jump, basics of throwing. In the end of the season she landed 4th in the Her above average height and slenderness IAAF ranking of the best world female athletes were decisive in making high jump her specialty. In in high jump. The Olympic year of 2004 began 1997 Bojan Marinović became a member of the extremely well. She won a bronze medal at the 184 SUPERBRANDS World Indoor Championship in Budapest. The 2 m at the Hanžeković memorial. summer was extremely successful: in the beginning Poland: she became the European of August in Ljubljana she jumped 203 cm, Champion in the category up to 23 announcing good possibilities for the Olympic Games years of age, with a result of 198 cm. in Athens. Zürich: she jumped 201 cm at the The year of 2006 was like a fairy tale. She Golden League meeting and took jumped over 2 m 13 times. She achieved 205 cm second place. indoors and 203 cm outdoors. She took second ∙ 2004 – Budapest: bronze medal at place at the World Indoor Championship in Moscow. the World Indoor Championship in Unfortunately, her 201 cm at first attempt were Budapest. not enough for a medal at the European Athletics ∙ 2006 – Moscow: second place at the Championship in Sweden. She began the year of World Indoor Championship. 2007 with good results on numerous meetings. ∙ 2007 – Birmingham: 5th place with An especially emotional performance occurred modest 192 cm. Out of a total of in the end of February in the Split Gripe hall, when nineteen appearances that year, she approximately 5,000 supporters intently followed won eighteen times. At the World her every jump. She won 5th place in Birmingham Championship in Osaka she won a gold with modest 192 cm. The summer season began medal with a jump of 205 cm, crowning furiously, with a win and a 204 cm jump and the her season and her entire career. attack of the world record. And she finished Stockholm: first on the list of the best the season in the same fashion: out of nineteen achievements of the season with a jump appearances, she won eighteen times. In total, of 207 cm; this is also the second best achieved 20 jumps over two metres. The crown result of all times. Stuttgart: she won of the season and her current career was the gold the Grand Prix Final. The European medal at the Osaka World Championship, with a Athletics Federation proclaimed her jump of 205 cm. the best female athlete for the year of She took the first place on the top list of the 2007. IAAF also gave her a prestigious best achievements of the season with a 207 cm recognition: her record 207 cm jump jump in Stockholm, which is also the second best was proclaimed the “achievement of result of all times. She won the Grand Prix Final the year”. in Stuttgart and the European Athletic Federation ∙ 2008 – Valencia: gold medal at the proclaimed her the best athlete of the year. IAAF World Indoor Championship. Beijing: also gave her a prestigious award. Her 207 cm jump silver medal at the Olympic Games. She was proclaimed the “achievement of the year”. also recorded five wins at the Golden Blanka ended the Olympic year of 2008 with a League competitions and a win at the result of over 2 m at all 24 competitions, achieving World Athletics Final in Stuttgart. this height 41 times. She won 22 times and she was ∙ 2009 – Berlin: gold medal at the World second twice. A gold medal at the World Indoor Championship. Zagreb: a state record and the competitions and shone at the Continental Cup in Championship in Valencia, a silver medal on the second best result of all times with a jump of Split in front of her domestic audience, achieving the Olympic Games in Beijing, five wins at the Golden 208 cm at the Grand Prix meeting. Thessaloniki: best result in the season. League competitions and a victory on the World she won the World Athletics Final with a jump of In the end of the year, the world honoured Athletics Finale in Stuttgart marked the magical year 204 cm. her successes and the association of world and in which she raised her average score to 202.9 cm. ∙ 2010 – Doha: gold medal at the World Indoor European reporters proclaimed her the best athlete At the first competition of 2009, on 26 January in Championship. Barcelona: gold medal. in the world and Europe. She was also in the closest Rijeka, Blanka rounded up the impressive number of selection for the sports Oscar, the Laureus award. 100 jumps over 200 cm at 63 competitions. Recent Developments The outdoor season of 2009 brought new gold The year of 2010 brought greatest problems as Promotion at the World Championship in Berlin, as well as the well as greatest success to Blanka. She crowned the Blanka Vlašić has always been interesting as a person new state record and the second result of all times, indoor jump of 206 cm with a world gold medal in and as an exemplary athlete to many commercial 208 cm, at the Grand Prix meeting Zagreb 2009. Doha. She won Diamond League with impressive brands. In the world of marketing and sports this She finished the season with a win in Thessaloniki at seven wins in a row. Furthermore, with gold medal type of collaboration is a normal and desirable the Athletics Final and a jump of 204 cm, resulting in in Barcelona, she stopped the curse of continental activity, especially with top brands. Podravka was 82 competitions with more than 131 the first corporation to recognise Blanka’s talent jumps over 2 m.