¶'09 WC wHJ: Blanka Vlašic (Croatia) 6-8¼ (2.04)

[croflash]

I know I'm going to get hammered for saying this, but with all the huge expectations going into the final, I thought the actual competition didn't quite live up to the promise. Good final, yes, but not the all-time classic it was supposed to be.

Have to agree and not just because Friedrich didn't win. I thought it was going to take (at least) 2.06 to win, both looked in complete control during the qualification and should have been in peak shape. Maybe they were and it wasn't meant to be tonight.

[Vielleicht]

I know I'm going to get hammered for saying this, but with all the huge expectations going into the final, I thought the actual competition didn't quite live up to the promise. Good final, yes, but not the all-time classic it was supposed to be.

True, having watched their form in the qualification, I thought both Vlasic and Friedrich were probably going to clear 2.05. Now perhaps we'll not see a new WR until the relays?

[Powell]

Loved Blanka's interview on Eurosport. The reporter made a comment about some people claiming she was fragile in major events. She responded by saying "Do I look fragile to you? I hit my head very hard before qualifying and I only needed 6 stitches". Gotta love the girl

[rasb]

Good competition, great athletes, and dare I say it, beautiful women. If I was a fashion designer, and was looking for tall, attractive women to model some clothing, I would be at the High Jump Pit... Hey, there's an idea for the IAAF to draw some attention to our sport. Hook up with one of the major fashion houses, and do a show featuring the Women and the Men of Athletics, modelling the latest Spring fashions... Visit Paris, New York, Rome, etc. I will sell the IAAF the rights to the idea...

[marknhj]

I know I'm going to get hammered for saying this, but with all the huge expectations going into the final, I thought the actual competition didn't quite live up to the promise. Good final, yes, but not the all-time classic it was supposed to be.

I agree with you, it was a bit of disappointment for me too. Pity Friedrich didn't make 2.06m with that excellent clutch attempt...

[Flumpy]

She should have gone for her final 2.04. She was in Bronze anyway so had nothing to lose and from the look of her attempt at 2.06 she would have made it and then had 3 attempts at the next height.

[Per Andersen]

I think the pressure got to Friedrich. She looked rattled at times. She demands absolute quiet from the crowd. What's with that? The run-up was not as precise as I have seen it earlier. Maybe we tend to be too impressed by all her passing.
Today she might have been better off with a more moderate approach to passing.
She finally got to jump at 1.92 but then, a long break before she got to 1.99.

Vlasic does not have to waste time thinking about passing after she starts jumping. She wants to get in a rhythm + she thrives on many jumps.


Vlasic was all business. She has been there before. The 2.10 attempts were not too bad. Hard to say if she is as good as in 2007 but she pretty much can be depended on to clear 2.04 in pressure situations.

Chicherova looked terrific over 2.02 but fell apart at 2.04. Green does not seem to be able to take the next step (well, so far)

[Frans Rutten]

I know I'm going to get hammered for saying this, but with all the huge expectations going into the final, I thought the actual competition didn't quite live up to the promise. Good final, yes, but not the all-time classic it was supposed to be.

Good point. You can't orchestrate all you desire. In particularly Friedrich looked very stressed. Vlasic had been there in Beijing. That might have helped her. On the other hand that last jump of Friedrich could have turned it all.

In jumping you have to overwhelm gravity, so you cannot get anything for grabs.

[gm33]

well, it was a great competition but Osaka and Beijing were definitely better

Anna delivers again what an athlete!
if she was competing from 1997-2002 she would be winning golds surely
her time will come i'm sure
Elena was injured for most of the summer, it was great she even qualified

after the great final from Atlanta 1996, women's HJ standard had fallen and it was only in 2003 that the level had risen again,and from then on all the finals (except 2005) have been very high standard!

[3]

Mrs. Chicherova had a dream about medals prior to the final. She awoke and asked her husband to look on the internet and find the type of medal she had described to him, having not seen the form of them. He told his wife that she had dreamt about the silver medal, to which she replied that she didn't want a silver medal. Interesting twist of fate.

[Grazerism]

The hype surrounding WHJ here in Germanland was unbelievable, and the pressure on both Vlasic and Friedrich was incredible. Remember, Germany only got one medal in Beijing! Ariana was seen as the best (only?) hope of gold in Berlin. Most of this German success has been a big surprise. But Ariana herself increased the pressure, with her huge makeover, her huge comments. When the camera was on her during preparation for the final jumps, you could almost see her saying "My God, what am I doing here?" to herself.

The German media would have been all over this story no matter what. But I found myself wondering if the "old" Friedrichs (who was mousier than Hellebaut!), keeping a low profile, could have pulled a Hellebaut on Bianca in Berlin...

[Per Andersen]

The German media would have been all over this story no matter what. But I found myself wondering if the "old" Friedrichs (who was mousier than Hellebaut!), keeping a low profile, could have pulled a Hellebaut on Bianca in Berlin...

Well, the cat is out of the bag now. I don't know that she looked mousy but she never had a mousy attitude.

Back to her passing for a minute. I think it was a mistake to make her first 2.02 attempt on only her third jump of the comp. Two misses on that height and she was really shaken up.

[gh]

1 254 Blanka Vlašic CRO 2.04
2 784 Anna Chicherova RUS 2.02 (SB)
3 416 Ariane Friedrich GER 2.02
4 504 Antonietta Di Martino ITA 1.99
5 301 Ruth Beitia ESP 1.99
6 825 Svetlana Shkolina RUS 1.96
7 886 Emma Green SWE 1.96 (SB)
7 1001 Chaunté Howard Lowe USA 1.96
9 376 Melanie Melfort FRA 1.92
10 829 Elena Slesarenko RUS 1.92
11 439 Meike Kröger GER 1.87
12 965 Amy Acuff USA 1.87

[jpaule]

The German media would have been all over this story no matter what. But I found myself wondering if the "old" Friedrichs (who was mousier than Hellebaut!), keeping a low profile, could have pulled a Hellebaut on Bianca in Berlin...

Well, the cat is out of the bag now. I don't know that she looked mousy but she never had a mousy attitude.

Back to her passing for a minute. I think it was a mistake to make her first 2.02 attempt only her third jump of the comp. Two misses on that height and she was really shaken up.

She looked like she was enjoying the "NEW HER" to me.

[JWiz]

I think I love this girl.