News19 Dec 2007


Vlasic to start indoor season in Czech Republic

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Blanka Vlasic jubilant with 2.04m in Zürich (© Getty Images)

  Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic, 2007 European Athlete of the Year and the holder of the award for the World Best Female Performance of 2007, has announced that her first meeting of the coming indoor season will be the first leg of 4th Moravia High Jump Tour series in South of Czech Republic.

As last year, the World High Jump champion will start the season in Hustopece a small city near Brno on 19 January in the first meet of a two-meet series.

"Last year I started my best season so far in Hustopece and I do not want to change this schedule, because I do hope and believe that this competition schedule could be a good start to a perfect Olympic season,” said Vlasic.

“Hustopece is a nice meeting, the organizers are very nice and so are the people in this small town, so that this is a perfect meeting as a season opener.”

Organisers are hoping that her opening shape will allow her to jump two metres a height which was never seen in Czech halls before. She won in Hustopece this year in January with 1.96m. Her second meet of 2008 will be the Gothenburg event on 29 January.

The second meet of the Moravia High Jump Tour, which will take place without Vlasic, will be held on 21 January in Trinec.

All of the local high jumping elite will compete at both meetings including (men) Tomas Janku, Svatoslav Ton, and Jaroslav Baba, and (women) Barbora Lalakova, Iva Strakova, and Romana Dubnova).

Other international names already confirmed for the two meets are Canadian elite jumper and Pan-Am Games silver medallist Nicole Forrester, Olympic medallist from Athens Viktoria Styopina (Ukraine), and another two metres jumper Viktoriy Klyugina of Russia.

On the men’s side former World Youth medallist Aleksey Dmitrik from Russia, and former US Champion Adam Shunk are in the line-up, along with World Indoor silver medallist Andrey Tereshin of Russia, who has a 2.36m PB, and will compete only in Trinec.

Alfons Juck for the IAAF

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