IT IS ALWAYS good for aspiring high jumpers to observe the different styles of preparation and run-up of elite practitioners. For instance, Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic, like many of her male and female contemporaries, spends a considerable amount of time standing quietly, feet together underneath her head and arms hanging by her sides, thinking through or visualising what she is about to do and what she wants to happen.
Sometimes she has her mouth open, sometimes it’s closed. But having satisfied herself with her mental preparation, Vlasic takes a step back with her right foot and leans backward so that most of her body weight is taken by that foot.
Then she looks forward to where her feet are about to land and starts her J-shaped run-up with long, almost slow-motion, strides, arms moving in sync, before accelerating, crucially using her eyes to look over the bar to where she wants to go.
A few paces later she obtains lift-off. Interestingly, apart from the lean forward from the pivot point of the ankle joints to initiate running forwards, Vlasic remains pretty upright throughout the process.
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About AW - The best coverage of the No.1 Olympic sport
THE BIG INTERVIEW
32 JAMES ELLINGTON
Sprinter heading to Rio in the 100m reflects
on his up-and-down journey to the Games
NEWS
44 Britain announces big team for Euros
45 GB team leader has high expectations
46 James Dasaolu on going back to basics
47 Chris Tomlinson bows out of the sport
PERFORMANCE
50 Sports science news
52 Athlete Insight – Josephine Moultrie
54 High jump – keeping your head balanced
56 Product reviews – sport sunglasess
STATISTICS
36 Form guide ahead of the European
Championships – rankings listing those
expected to be in Amsterdam
TALKING POINT
42 Young athlete Lydia Blythe describes how it
felt to compete in her first major
championships, the England under-23s
ACTION
6 BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS
Athletes secure Olympic selection in
Birmingham – 24 pages of reports, pictures
and results begins here
8 Women’s sprints
10 Women’s middle-distances
12 Women’s hurdles and steeplechase
14 Women’s jumps
16 Women’s throws
20 Men’s sprints
22 Men’s middle-distances
24 Men’s hurdles and steeplechase
26 Men’s jumps
28 Men’s throws
30 Full results
RESULTS & FIXTURES
58 Results round-up
74 What’s On – fixtures guide
REGULARS
78 QUIZ CORNER
82 DIP FINISH