High Jump preparations on the Oslo Fjord

Anna Chicherova, Blanka Vlasic and Norwegian Tonje Angelsen were among the guests invited by Meet Director Steinar Hoen and ex-volleyball star Bjorn Maaseide.

Angelsen hopes to reach the 2-meter mark during the season, but sees Olympic and World Champion Chicherova as the favourite at Bislett, with Vlasic as a great challenger.

For Vlasic, who has the best personal record of the group with 2.08 meters, Wednesday’s meet is somewhat of a comeback for her.

– I feel more confident now than in a long time and look forward to picking up again and give the other girls some serious competition. But it’s more challenging now, as a lot of them jump over 2 meters regularly. I look forward to the great atmosphere in the stadium, Bislett always delivers, Vlasic said.

On the yacht were also Pole Vault jumper Renaud Lavillenie, who surpassed Sergey Bubka’s long-lasting world record with an incredible 6.16 meter earlier this year, long jumper Darya Klishina, and two-time Olympic Champion Andreas Thorkildsen.
Lavillenie agrees with Vlasic that Bislett provides something special.

– The crowd responds well to the performances we deliver in the arena and the atmosphere is always good. Bislett’s audience knows how things work and what to look for. I really enjoy the sensation of spending a good while in the air and I’m focused on delivering results, he said.