Dagmara Wozniak

Dagmara "Daga" Wozniak (Woźniak) (born July 1, 1988) is an American saber fencer.[1] Wozniak was named to the U.S. Olympic team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in women's saber competition as a substitute and as a competitor at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.[2][3][4]

Dagmara Wozniak
Personal information
Nickname(s)Daga[1]
Born (1988-07-01) July 1, 1988
Wrocław, Poland
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight180 lb (82 kg; 13 st)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportFencing
WeaponSaber
ClubManhattan Fencing Center
Head coachYury Gelman
FIE rankingCurrent ranking
Domestic rankingExternal Link
Dagmara Wozniak
Medal record
Women's fencing
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
World Championships
2014 KazanTeam
2011 CataniaTeam
2013 BudapestTeam
2015 MoscowTeam

As of the summer of 2016, she was ranked as one of the top 10 saber fencers in the world.[5]

Early life and education

Her parents are Gregory and Irena Wozniak and she has an older sister, Zuzanna.[4] Born in Wrocław, Poland, when Wozniak was one year old, she immigrated to the United States with her parents. The family settled in Avenel, New Jersey, Wozniak's hometown.[4][5][6]

Wozniak graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey in 2006.[6] She was the New Jersey high school sabre champion in 2005.[7] She went on to attend St. John's University, where she majored in Biology.[8]

Fencing career

Wozniak began fencing at age 9 at the Polish American Fencing School (PAFS) in Linden, New Jersey.[9][5][6] She has trained at the Manhattan Fencing Center since high school, and her coach is Yury Gelman.[4][6] She won three team medals at the Junior World Fencing Championships.[5]

Wozniak was an Olympic alternate in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing but did not compete. She became a full member of the U.S. team at the 2012 Olympic Games and placed eighth, losing to Sofiya Velikaya of Russia in the quarterfinals by the score of 15–13.[3][5][6] It was later revealed that she had fenced with a partially torn Achilles tendon.[6]

After winning bronze medals in the team competition at the 2011 World Fencing Championships, and the 2012 and 2013 Senior World Championships, Wozniak won a gold medal with Team USA in 2014.[5]

As of the summer of 2016, she was ranked among the top 10 saber fencers in the world.[5] She represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[4] The team won a bronze medal.

References
  1. London Olympics: Dagmara Wozniak's stab just misses mark | NJ.com
  2. The 2008 Olympic Fencing Team
  3. Orr, Conor (July 25, 2012). "Olympics 2012: Fencer Dagmara Wozniak, an Avenel native, flourished with work ethic learned from immigrant parents". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
  4. Dagmara Wozniak
  5. Dagmara Wozniak
  6. Dagmara Wozniak Rides Passion for Fencing to the Olympic Games - Woodbridge, NJ Patch
  7. NJSIAA History of Girls Fencing Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  8. Chang, Kathy. "Young fencer enjoys living on the edge: Woodbridge resident hoping for a spot on 2008 Olympic team", Woodbridge Sentinel, August 16, 2006. Accessed July 8, 2008. "Wozniak graduated from Colonia High School in June. She heads to St. John's University in Queens, N.Y., this fall on a full athletic scholarship."
  9. Tufaro, Greg. "Fencing for gold: Colonia's Wozniak will represent U.S. in saber competition in Beijing Olympics", Asbury Park Press, July 24, 2008. Accessed July 26, 2008.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.