Don't think too much about numbers: Blanka Vlasic on high jump

"It's all about a lot of many small details that you practise throughout the year. So, you can execute them perfectly, as perfectly as possible, during competition," said a two-time World Champion and Olympic medallist Blanka Vlasic.

Indian women's high jump is probably witnessing its best-ever talent as young Pooja Singh has emerged as a bright prospect. The teenager is deemed the favourite to break the 13-year-old national record of 1.92m.

While she has come close to breaching the mark since last season, becoming Asian Champion in the process, it is clear now that it has turned into her biggest challenge, perhaps a mental block as well.

And who better to seek advice than Blanka Vlasic, a two-time World Champion and Olympic medallist who spent years chasing the world record mark of 2.10m following her personal best of 2.08.

Speaking to select media outlets here as the brand ambassador for the 18th edition of the TCS World 10K, the 42-year-old Vlasic shared her thoughts on varied topics, including how athletes often limit their own abilities by giving too much importance to a mark.

Q: Indian women's national record is stuck at 1.92m for a while now, and to a point where it feels like a mental block. What would you suggest to overcome it?

Blanka: Sometimes, it can be a real mental block. It can be that you think about that height and then you overrate it. I think for me sometimes that was the 2.10. Maybe I was putting it higher in my head than it was. And definitely, mental barriers can be something that can prevent you from moving forward. But at one point, everything will come together. And once, if you break it one time, the next time will be easier. For high jumpers, technique is everything. Always try to perfect. So many times I come to the competition tired and feeling like not myself. But with the right technique, I would always manage to pull out the good results.

Q: While you came mighty close to breaching the world record of 2.10m, was that your dream height?

Blanka: My dream height was always 2.10. And then my dad and I discussed between us, I asked him, 'What do you think dad, how high I can actually jump?' And he said, 2.15. And then I was like, 'yeah, okay!' I mean, to be clear, I always like to aim high. And when you see that you can jump 2.06, 2.07, 2.08, that you have world records in your body, and you're still like 24, 25, then you think, actually, bigger heights are possible. 

Q: What really goes behind creating a champion? Can you take us from the start of your run-up to those heights? What happens?

Blanka: Well, everything that you see on TV is actually carefully practised in training. So, the thing about technique in any technical event is automatism. So, you need to repeat it many, many times in training. I had training sessions with more than 30 jumps per session, where I would work on all these small things. For people, what they see is, oh, she runs and then she jumps. It's not that simple. High jump as an event has its particular rules, such as how you need to keep your body, how you need to run the curve, what rhythm you should start with, what rhythm you should finish, how to position yourself, how to keep your shoulders. So, it's all about a lot of many small details that you practise throughout the year. So, you can execute them perfectly, as perfectly as possible, during competition.