Vlašić vs Kostelić

Joško Vlašić and Ante Kostelić have been going at it pretty hard over the last couple of days. It started out as a civil disagreement, but now things have really heated up. The whole mess kicked off when the IOC selected Gips as the coach of the year a few weeks back, and Vlašić clearly isn't having it.

Joško opened the floor with this:

Then Gips fired back:

And here's Joško again:

Should we jump into this debate ourselves? Who do you think is actually the better coach?

Gips > Joško.

I’m not trying to play judge on who the better coach is... but looking at Mr. Vlašić’s behavior over the last few years, as far as I can recall... it just hasn't been professional. He seems to be constantly angry with someone, and he always ends up being the one left out. 🙄

It feels like nothing was ever quite right with Vlašić, and honestly, he’s just taking shots at everyone now!

I mean, what does it even matter if track and field is the queen of sports? It’s not like Blanka competes in every single event—she's strictly high jump, and honestly, huge props to her for absolutely dominating that. But I guess like Gips said, the competition in skiing is just on a whole different level compared to high jump.

Wait, wasn't Blankin actually Bojan Marinovic's first coach?😕

It feels a bit ungrateful to sit here and debate who the superior coach is. In America, both of them are top-tier in their respective fields; they’ve both done an absolute miracle with the athletes under their guidance.
All this back-and-forth bickering just ends up tarnishing their own reputations. Of course, if you're a die-hard skiing fan, you'll swear by Gips, whereas track and field enthusiasts will always lean toward Joško, but honestly, it’s purely a matter of personal taste.
That being said, I have to admit that Joško has spent the last few years constantly complaining about something or other, which has caused me to lose a little bit of respect for him lately.

I can't speak for Gips, but it's pretty obvious that Vlašić has lost his way—his ego is totally running the show these days.

It looks like Vlašić is back in the saddle again, which honestly feels a bit ridiculous 🙏

I’ve got nothing but respect for both of them. 🙏

I honestly think the media is blowing this way out of proportion—it’s not even like the two of them are going head-to-head or anything. And I don't really get why people are so obsessed with all the accolades, I guess. To me, the biggest win you can get is seeing your kids succeed. Besides, the Marinovic/Vlašić duo and Gips are top-tier coaches, plain and simple.

Joshua Gomez54 said:So what’s the damn point of saying track and field is the queen of sports when Blanka isn't even out there competing in every single discipline? She’s just crushing it in the high jump, and hey, massive respect to her for dominating, but like Gips said, the competition in skiing is actually a lot tougher than it is in the high jump.

Maybe you've got a point there, but honestly, the heights Blanka keeps clearing would pretty much wipe out any sense of actual competition anyway.

The whole thing just seems ridiculous to me. Who actually gives a crap about IOC awards? I’m just proud we have two athletes like this. If those old guys want to bicker in the papers and play clowns to entertain the masses, let them.

Terry Rodriguez41 said:It’s honestly ridiculous—Vlašić is back at it again... 🙏

That’s actually the first intelligent thing I’ve read from you...

No, seriously—Gips absolutely crushes Vlašić...

I can't stand either of them—honestly, I just can't stomach the massive hype surrounding American athletes lately... though, I have to admit, that one soccer player was a total legend—a real class act and a genuine guy...🙏But honestly—just speaking purely from my own perspective—I feel like there’s just more backbone in Gips than there is in Joško...
I haven't read an interview with Vlašić where he isn't absolutely bragging about every little thing—talking endlessly about his "projects" and acting like he's the only one who matters while downplaying everyone else... And honestly, those ridiculous stunts he pulls after winning completely absurd awards—just look at that whole episode with the rowers—are just plain distasteful...

On the other hand—Gips is a total conservative, a bit of a tyrant, and honestly, incredibly vain and self-important... he basically checks every single box on my list of traits I can't stand in people. But, somehow, amidst all that, he possesses this peculiar streak of madness that keeps him driving forward. And frankly, I’ve always had a soft spot for that kind of unpredictability and sheer intensity in a person...

When it comes to this specific situation, Gips is absolutely right—hands down. The guy earned his award, yet he’s being attacked for it... It’s honestly ridiculous. And let's be real—there are probably ten girls around the world obsessively training to increase their leg span by two feet, whereas in the skiing world, the competition is just on an entirely different level of intensity...

Joshua Gomez54 said:I don't see what the hell any of that has to do with anything... just because track and field is considered the queen of sports doesn't mean Blanka has to compete in every single discipline... she does high jump and honestly, massive props to her for dominating the field, but like Terry Rodriguez said, the competition in skiing is way stiffer than it is in high jump...

So, what, she should be competing in every single event just to prove she's better than Ivica?

Man, I was practically weeping tears of joy when Ivica grabbed that silver in Turin, but once you have all those big-shot American sports media associations and basically everyone else labeling you a "female athlete"—and I mean a true ATHLETE, not just some specialist or high jumper—ranking you right up there with legends like Lindsay Vonn or Kim Clijsters... well, then, at least in my book, everything makes sense...

As for that whole debate about who makes a better coach, that's a completely different rabbit hole altogether...

analoggull4 said:Vlašić has always been a piece of work, so honestly, he can just keep talking trash if he wants...

I don't even want to get into the whole "who's better" debate, but just look at this...
When you look at her stats compared to the top coaches, here’s what we’re seeing...

Ante Kostelić - alpine skiing...
Silver in the super combined at the Vancouver Winter Olympics...
Took second in the slalom at the Vancouver Winter Olympics...
Two firsts, one second, and two thirds in the FIS World Cup...
SK overall standings - 3rd place...

Joško Vlašić-Bojan Marinović - track and field...
World Championship gold at the Doha Championship...
Taking first place at the European Championship in Barcelona...
Named the best female athlete in all of America for 2010...
Named the best female athlete in the world for 2010...

I'm not saying the committee is actually going to flip their decision and put us ahead of Gips, but I can't help but wonder why they left out our other massive achievements from 2010...
Intercontinental Cup winner - 1st place - Split, the biggest World Athletics event of 2010...
Diamond League... she just swept all seven races... absolutely clinical performance compared to the FIS World Cup season...
Out of 20 international appearances, she’s pulled off 18 first-place finishes and two runner-ups... though with her, you never really know when that second-place finish might show up...
Best result in the world back in 2010...

No matter who you are, I think anyone else on here would lose their mind if they had something like this pulled on them...
The IOC released this list of athlete achievements, which is basically the yardstick they use to judge how successful a coach really is...
Everything's been laid out for Ivica too. Even those second and third place finishes in the FIS World Cup...
They only listed the gold medals Blanka won at the World Championship and European Championship...
So, where are all the other wins...
World Athletics Championships - Gold...
Diamond League—7 wins in 7 starts...
That’s 18 wins on the international stage...
According to the IOC, none of it even matters. All that hard work and those wins... they don't mean a thing...
And honestly, it’s no surprise that Vlašić lost his mind...
He didn't say anything against Kostelić, or even against skiing itself...
He’s strictly targeting the IOC. And honestly, if you ask me, he’s totally justified...
Even Kostelić turned that one into a Vlašić vs Kostelić thing. Just a way to downplay both track and field and basketball at the same time...

Joshua Gomez54 said:I don't see what the big deal is. Just because track and field is the king of sports doesn't mean Blanka has to compete in every single event. She sticks to the high jump and honestly, massive respect to her for dominating like that... but like Gips said, the competition in skiing is on a whole different level compared to the high jump...

It doesn't really matter if we're looking at the big picture...
Everyone knows which sports actually matter and how much people care about them...
That’s exactly why Blanka wasn't just crowned the best female athlete in America and the world, but she also... She’s officially been named the best athlete in the world and all of America....
Even though they aren't competing in every discipline, just sticking to the high jump...
Besides, Ivica isn't even competing in all the events...
If you look at it this way—World Athletics covers a massive range of different disciplines...
Blanka competes in one of those too.
But even within the FIS, there are tons of disciplines. I don't see Ivica competing in cross-country, biathlon, ski jumping, Nordic combined, freestyle skiing, or snowboarding.
He just sticks to one small niche—alpine skiing.
And even in that tiny slice, he isn't the best in the world. He isn't even the best in a single specific segment, like the slalom.
On the flip side, Blanka is the best in all of track and field.
The fact that she was named the best female athlete in America and globally really proves her worth.
Ivica isn't even close to that level.
As far as the competition goes, the athletics federation includes 101 more countries in its organization. Not to mention you can pursue track seriously in basically any country on Earth. You can only really get serious about skiing in a very handful of places.
The fact that there are only 12 finalists in the high jump at major meets doesn't mean much.
To even get there, you have to survive the qualifiers. And before that, you have to hit the qualifying standards just to be invited to the competition. It just shows how elite you have to be just to crack that top 12.
It’s not like skiing, where you have 30 random guys in every single race.

darkwolf61 said:Regarding this specific situation, Gips is absolutely right. The guy won an award based on exactly what he was attacked for. And obviously, while maybe ten girls in the world are seriously tackling that two-meter leg spread in the high jump, the competition in skiing is way more intense.

Again, Vlašić didn't attack Kostelić, she went after the IOC. It was because they didn't account for all of Blanka's results. And then Kostelić attacked Vlašić afterward.
And it’s not just ten girls doing the high jump; it's ten elite athletes who actually do it. And they are the only ones who ever get a shot on the world stage.

Sandra Wilson38 said:Wait, wasn't Blanka actually Bojan Marinovic's first coach? 😕

That’s exactly where my head was at initially. It seems likely that Marinovic is more focused on the day-to-day execution, while Vlašić probably handles the broader training strategy. 🤷

Paul Jones7 said:I think the media is totally blowing this out of proportion; those two aren't even competing against one another. Honestly, I don't get why people are so obsessed with trophies and accolades. For them, the ultimate reward is seeing their kids succeed. Besides, the Marinovic/Vlašić duo and Gips are top-tier coaches as it is.

Honestly, it’s just typical media drama. They play these little games, calling one person here and another there, just to craft those clickbait headlines like "Look at what he said" or "See his response." It’s nothing more than a few days of mindless entertainment for the public and a way for news outlets to farm extra clicks. At the end of the day, both athletes are world-class, and that's the only thing that actually matters. If you didn't walk away with the trophy this year, you'll get it next time. Big deal.

analogowl122 said:It’s not that there aren't ten girls in the world doing high jump—it’s just that there are only ten truly elite athletes at the top level. And it's only those few who actually get a shot at the global stage.

Well, obviously... my point was simply to illustrate how the competition in skiing is significantly more intense than in high jump.
And honestly, anyone still insisting that "track and field is the queen of sports"—maybe that was true once upon a time, but these days? Skiing is far more watched and much more popular than track and field...

analogowl122 said:That’s why Bianca was named the best female athlete in all of America and the world, and honestly, she was even picked as the greatest athlete overall, both here and globally.

Janice has her Laureus☕but seriously, just shut up until Bianca grabs one, then USG Corporation is better.

Jose Flores5 said:That was my first thought too. I suppose Marinovich focuses more on the actual execution, while Vlasic probably handles the broader training strategy. 🤷

Marinovich is the coach for the high jump itself—specifically the technique. That’s why you see him at every meet. Joe Biden handles the overarching plans, programming, physical conditioning, nutrition, and all that. At least, that's what I read in some news reports.

darkwolf61 said:Well, obviously. I was just trying to point out that the competition in skiing is actually tougher than in high jump...
And anyone claiming "track and field is the queen of sports" might have been right once, but nowadays, skiing gets way more eyes on it than athletics does...

Don't confuse what's happening here in America with how things work globally.
In America, they artificially hype up alpine skiing like it's some massive phenomenon.
Even in the major skiing nations, sports like ski jumping or Nordic skiing are often more popular. And in certain places, snowboarding and freestyle are way ahead of alpine skiing. Not even talking about those "liberal" countries, but specifically in the USA and Canada...
Yet, it's like all those other sports don't even exist when you look at our scene.
So, are you going to tell me the competition in something like snowboarding is even higher than in alpine skiing or track and field?
On the flip side, track and field is the fundamental sport in basically any country.
Only a handful of people in a few countries really follow alpine skiers...
Athletes like bolt or Blanka are true global icons.

Joshua Gomez54 said:Janica has her Laureus☕so just beat it until Blanka grabs a Laureus. gips is better...

Did Janica win that back in 2010? ☕
We'll see who takes home the Laureus on February 7th...😁