Legend-Speak: High jump great Blanka Vlasic explains what Indian athletes need to succeed - 'Reach for advice online'

Edit note: Legend-Speak is a special Firstpost series featuring conversations with some of the greatest sportspersons. The series focuses on their respective sports as well as the broader sporting ecosystem. It aims to inspire young and budding athletes while also giving readers a deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed at the highest level of sport.

While high jump has become a major medalling event for India at Paralympics and world para events, the mainstream high jump circuit in India is still searching for a breakthrough moment on the world stage despite years of promise.

Athletes such as Bobby Aloysius, Pooja Singh, Sarvesh Kushare and Tejaswin Shankar have shown that Indian jumpers possess the talent to compete internationally, but inconsistent infrastructure, limited exposure and financial constraints continue to affect the sport’s growth.

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India is yet to produce an Asian Games or Commonwealth Games gold medallist in high jump, highlighting the gap that still exists between promise and podium success.

As the discipline continues to fight for wider attention and investment, we spoke to one of the greatest high jumpers in history about the sport’s future. Blanka Vlasic, the two-time world champion and Olympic medallist from Croatia, believes countries like India possess untapped athletic potential that can flourish with the right support system and grassroots development.

In the latest edition of Legend-Speak, Vlasic, who was recently in India as the event ambassador for the TCS World 10K in Bengaluru, reflected on the challenges athletes face, the importance of resilience after setbacks, and why success in the high jump demands a balance of technique, mindset and discipline. She also shared her thoughts on India’s high jump ecosystem and the steps needed to help more athletes compete consistently at the highest level.

The following are the excerpts from the interview.

Q: It is being said that you tried multiple sports before picking high jump. What can help an athlete pick the right sport for her/him?

Vlasic: You need to explore and allow yourself at least a couple of training sessions, if not up to a month, to be in that sport and see if it fits. You know, it's very hard to make a decision without trying. And also, I mean, you need to discover what works with you, what resonates with you, you know, also as a character -- like, are you mostly solo player or do you like team sports, you know? Are you an artistic type or do you like more technical events with the strict rules? You know, because there are so many variety of sports and everybody can find a sport for themselves.

And then there's also a talent-related decision. I mean, if you think that you have, let's say, a talent that is able to be successful and make sport a way of, like, a profession, then we're talking about different things. But if you just, you know, you just want to participate in sport and have sport being a part of your everyday routine and just enjoy what sport can offer you, then, you know, you just go out there and try as many sports as possible, and one will resonate, one will click.

But, you know, when somebody is very talented, it's hard to miss it. There will be somebody who will notice. There will be somebody who will give advice. I mean, the kid's parents or the kid itself, you know. And then you ask people, you know, or you just ask people in your surroundings who know about sport, where to go, to which coach they can talk, you know. If we're talking about top talent, you know, there's always a way to find it.

Q: In those few seconds before a jump, what is going through your mind, and how do you control pressure at the highest level?

Vlasic: The key is to be present. I mean, to be in the present moment. The pressure comes only if you always think about what if. That means that you are living in the future.

So when you are in the present, you have no time to think. Just think about the things that you need to do. So just before jumping, I have one minute to jump. So I'm just thinking about my technique. That's it. I'm thinking about the mistakes I made in my previous jump, what my coach told me to correct, and that's it.

Just a few thoughts, being completely present, being focused. And really, in those moments, I'm really not aware of what is happening around me. And now, when I say it, it looks like it's easier, but it really comes with time. It wasn't always easy when I was younger. But then, with repetition, with time, you learn how to keep your focus and how to cancel all unnecessary noise around you.

Q: You’ve experienced both world titles and injuries. What did those setbacks teach you about resilience and rebuilding?

Vlasic: Setbacks are always our best teachers. And even though we don't like it because setbacks are painful, and we would rather escape them, it is important to be humble and to be broken so we can learn something about ourselves and about our next moves. I've learned so much from the period I was injured. I had one successful comeback. So from that comeback, I've learned that I should never stop knocking on doors.

I was knocking on the doors of so many people, so many doctors, so many physios, who weren't able to help me. And almost at the last try, I found a guy who fixed my foot within five days. So the solution is always out there. That was my lesson. And it taught me, once I came back, I learned to enjoy the competitions more because I've missed it so much. So I learned to appreciate every jump, not just the ones that brought me victories.

And then the second injury, when it came the year after, it was the one that became the reason why I retired eventually. So from there, it taught me that I can function and also be productive even when things are not perfect.

When the injury occurs, everything rearranges. The practice requires you to go to physical therapy very often. So nothing is as you imagined. And then you need to learn to function in those new circumstances. And then you learn that you need to learn how to adapt fast. And the skill of adaptation is really something I didn't have before my injury. So now it has taught me a lot about it.

It made me think more about the chaos of life because it's always something. There's always some problem that we're dealing with. And we need to learn how to be productive and how to be happy and satisfied and fulfilled even when things are not perfect because something will also always be missing. But, you know, that's life.

Q: For young athletes, what separates a good high jumper from a world-class one -- talent, technique or mindset?

Vlasic: All to everything. It's a valued piece of a puzzle. You cannot just say one thing. For a great result, everything needs to come in its place. Without one puzzle, it cannot happen.

Q: Many young Indian athletes lack access to top facilities. What advice would you give them to still compete at the highest level?

Vlasic: I understand this problem a lot. Trust me, I was in the same situation. And if I didn't find a solution, I don't know what would happen.

I would probably go somewhere else, some other country, some other city, because we didn't have an indoor. And then we found, and we made an improvised one. We just moved into an old warehouse that we made just for ourselves for high jumping.

And it was not big, but it was enough for me. And that facility was crucial for me to train during the winter months. So, I really can resonate with this ache of not having a good enough facility and still wanting to train, wanting to compete.

I mean, it all depends on the situation a person, an athlete, is in. Financially, also, does he or she have the support of the family? It's very ungrateful for me to give you one answer. It will not fit all situations.

I would say maybe to try to find a solution to reach the next available club that has some kind of conditions, then see if it is possible to train there? What needs to be done to make it possible? And then see if it's achievable, you know? It's very hard for me to give you a unique answer to that question.

Q: If an Indian athlete doesn't have access to quality coaches, how can they improve in the high jump?

Vlasic: You're talking about pain points that are also present in Croatia. So coaches definitely need to always keep educating themselves, keep investing in themselves the whole time, every day. But if athletes have no chance, if the athlete is not in a position to have a good coach, there's always an online possibility. You can reach, I mean, you can reach for advice online.

There are coaches who offer their expertise via online training. It's not ideal, I know, but it's better than nothing. It's better than being by yourself.

Q: What should India do at the grassroots to produce more athletes?

Vlasic: Keep investing in facilities and in the education of coaches. Get as many kids involved in sports as possible. As many, like, all if possible. Keep making events like running events or other events that will make sports popular among people, so kids will want to participate.

On one side, if you don’t have a talent, if you don’t have a number of kids you can work with, then what can you call for? On the other hand, if those kids don’t have high-quality coaches, then, again, you have nothing. And if they don’t have a place to train and adequate equipment, medical support, I mean, you also cannot expect much.

So you see, work needs to be done on all levels to progress. And I’m not just saying about India, I’m saying about every country that wants to invest in the development of sports in any kind.