Blanka Vlašić on Her New Life
The legendary Croatian athlete opens up in a candid interview about motherhood, faith, and life after sport.
The legendary Croatian athlete opens up in a candid interview about motherhood, faith, and life after sport.
For years, she defied gravity and conquered the world with her incredible jumps, and today Blanka Vlašić admits that her greatest achievement came in a completely different arena. In an intimate interview with Gloria, the former queen of the high jump revealed how the birth of her son Mondo, which happened on her 39th birthday, completely transformed her.
"I was reborn that day," Vlašić said, adding that she strives to live her role as a mother to the fullest every day and not take it for granted because "a child is an immeasurable gift."
Blanka Vlašić, who stands 193 centimeters tall, cleared 208 centimeters during her career, the second-best jump in women's track and field history. She won two world gold medals, an Olympic silver and bronze, and earned the status of one of the greatest female athletes of all time. But what always set her apart was the emotion and charismatic celebrations after her victories.
She recalled 2007 and the Diamond League competition in Rome when, after a successful jump, she shyly "showed off her first dance move." "I never forced it; it was primarily a reflection of my immediate satisfaction with a well-executed jump and a signal to the audience: I feel good, I'm enjoying this moment," she explained. That dance later became her trademark.
Vlašić also spoke about the spiritual turnaround she experienced during her battle with injuries. "Conversion was the moment when, as I like to say, my soul remembered God," she said. She added that she felt a profound sense of belonging and love, one for which she didn't have to do anything but be who she is. "It was a great liberation for someone who found their worth and validation in athletic success."
Today, Blanka Vlašić is, above all, a mother. "Motherhood has taken me out of my shoes in the most beautiful way possible," she admitted. Although she avoids publicly discussing details about motherhood and her son because she considers it "too intimate," she shared how she feels. "I often told a friend that I feel like my heart now permanently 'lives' outside my chest," she revealed.
She also commented on societal pressure on mothers: "If we allow it, we can be overwhelmed daily by a multitude of information, by what others think we should or shouldn't do. That's why it's important to develop critical thinking."
After her illustrious sports career, Vlašić also found peace in entrepreneurship. She launched the digital sports platform MVPiz with her longtime friend Ivana Brkljačić and organizes the Sport Innovest conference. She is the president of her home club ASK-Split and is actively working on the infrastructural renovation of the Park Mladeži stadium.
"Aging is a privilege, not a condemnation," said Vlašić, who finds her peace in the family home in Kaštela, where her parents still live, surrounded by sports, olive trees, and grandchildren. "From this perspective, the sacrifices I made on the road to achieving my sports goals are truly minor compared to everything sport has given me. It was worth it!" she concluded.
