Jennifer Dahlgren

Jennifer Dahlgren Fitzner (born 21 April 1984) is an Argentine hammer thrower.[1] Having spent much of her life in the United States, she competed as an amateur for the University of Georgia. She set the US collegiate hammer record and was the NCAA Outdoor champion in both 2006 and 2007. She is a three-time gold medallist at the South American Championships and won the bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Dahlgren and the second or maternal family name is Fitzner.
Jennifer Dahlgren
Jennifer Dahlgren in 2012
Personal information
Full nameJennifer Dahlgren Fitzner
Nationality Argentina
Born (1984-04-21) 21 April 1984
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight112 kg (247 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)Hammer throw
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Argentina
Pan American Games
2007 Rio de JaneiroHammer throw
South American Championships
2005 CaliHammer throw
2006 TunjaHammer throw
2011 Buenos AiresHammer throw
2009 LimaHammer throw
2013 CartagenasHammer throw
Pan American Junior Championships
2003 BridgetownHammer throw
2003 BridgetownShot put
South American Youth Championships
2000 Bogotá Hammer throw
2000 Bogotá Discus throw
Updated on 28 January 2015.

Dahlgren has represented Argentina at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, as well as having competed at the World Championships in Athletics on three occasions. She first broke the South American record in the discipline in 2004 and has raised it several metres to her current best of 73.74 m. She is one of the continent's top performers in the event, in which South American athletes are historically weak. In 2010 she won the Konex Award Merit Diploma as one of the five best Athletes from the last decade in Argentina.[2]

Career

Dahlgren's first major tournament was the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics, but she did not make the final, finishing 11th in the qualifying stages. She finished fourth at the 2001 World Youth Championships, but won the South American Junior Championships and took second at the Pan American Junior Championships that year.[3] Dahlgren took fifth at the World Junior Championships in Athletics the following year and again topped the podium in the 2002 South American Junior Championships in Athletics.[4] The 2003 season proved to be a breakthrough year: she set the South American junior record in the discipline and won at the Pan American Junior Championships.[3]

Dahlgren reached the championship podium three times in 2004, finishing third at the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship for the University of Georgia with a South American record of 66.12 m, taking the gold at the South American U23 Championships in Athletics and winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Ibero-American Championships. However, she did not fare as well at the 2004 Summer Olympics, managing a throw of only 59.52 m. In 2005, she improved her record to 67.07 m and bettered her previous performance at the NCAA Championships with a second-place finish.[3] She set a championship record of 65.05 m to win the 2005 South American Championships in Athletics – her first senior title.[5] She did not continue her momentum into the 2005 World Championships in Athletics and she threw three fouls to be eliminated in the qualifying round.[3]

In 2006, she won the NCAA Indoor Weight throw title and set a new US collegiate record in the hammer with a throw of 71.78 m at the SEC Championships – the fourth time she had improved her South American record that year.[6] She went on to win her first outdoor NCAA hammer throw title a few months later. Dahlgren improved her championship record to 69.07 m to take a second continental gold at the 2006 South American Championships in Athletics.[7] She also won at the 2006 South American Games, which acted as the South American Under-23 Athletics Championships that year.[8]

She started 2007 by winning the NCAA championships with a mark of 70.72 m (her final amateur title) and throwing a new South American record of 72.01 m soon afterwards in Greensboro, North Carolina.[3] She scored her first major championship medal at the 2007 Pan American Games, taking the bronze with a throw of 68.37 m behind Cubans Yipsi Moreno and Arasay Thondike.[9] Representing Argentina at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, she threw 65.64 m in the qualifying round but this was not enough to progress to the final.[10]

She suffered a foot injury in 2008, which affected her performances early in the season.[11] She recovered somewhat in time for the 2008 Ibero-American Championships and was the silver medallist behind Rosa Rodríguez.[12] She had a best mark of 66.35 m at the 2008 Summer Olympics, leaving her as the best South American performer but in 29th place overall. She had a below par performance at the 2009 South American Championships in Athletics, throwing 63.81 m for the bronze medal.[13] Despite this, she was also the best South American performer in the hammer at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, where her throw of 68.90 m was good enough for 17th, but not enough to make the final round.

She came under the tutelage of fellow Argentine Marcelo Pugliese, a former Olympic hammer thrower. At the start of the 2010 season, Dahlgren set another best of 73.74 m in Buenos Aires.[14]

Personal life

Dahlgren frequently moved with her family in her youth, which meant that she spent much time living in the United States. She returned to Argentina at the age of 13, but took time to feel comfortable with the language and settle into her school. However, after settling she was once again uprooted as her family moved to Texas. Her mother Irene Fitzner competed for Argentina as a sprint athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Dahlgren's younger brother, Paul, attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas.[3]

Dahlgren's great-grandfather was Swedish, hence her Swedish surname.

Personal bests
Event Best (m) Venue Date
Shot put (indoor)15.54Blacksburg, Virginia, United States14 February 2004
20 lb weight throw (indoor)24.04Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States10 March 2006
Hammer throw73.74Buenos Aires, Argentina10 April 2010
  • All information taken from IAAF profile.

Achievements
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Argentina
1999 South American Junior Championships Concepción, Chile 8th Shot put 10.79 m
7th Discus throw 37.46 m
5th Hammer throw 46.36 m
2000 South American Junior Championships São Leopoldo, Brazil 6th Discus throw 39.09 m
1st Hammer throw 54.95 m
World Junior Championships Santiago, Chile 23rd (q) Hammer throw 50.49 m
South American Youth Championships Bogotá, Colombia 2nd Discus throw 39.55 m A
1st Hammer throw 56.68 m A
2001 World Youth Championships Debrecen, Hungary 4th Hammer throw 56.96 m
South American Junior Championships Santa Fe, Argentina 6th Shot put 12.47 m
1st Hammer throw 57.50 m
Pan American Junior Championships Santa Fe, Argentina 2nd Hammer throw 57.18 m
2002 World Junior Championships Kingston, Jamaica 5th Hammer throw 59.48 m (AJR)
South American Junior Championships /
South American Games		 Belém, Brazil 2nd Shot put 13.61 m
2nd Discus throw 41.41 m
1st Hammer throw 55.73 m
2003 Pan American Junior Championships Bridgetown, Barbados 3rd Shot put 14.26 m
1st Hammer throw 58.61 m
2004 South American U23 Championships Barquisimeto, Venezuela 3rd Shot put 14.34 m
6th Discus 42.62 m
1st Hammer 65.17 m
Ibero-American Championships Huelva, Spain 3rd Hammer throw 63.72 m
Olympic Games Athens, Greece 43rd (q) Hammer throw 59.52 m
2005 South American Championships Cali, Colombia 1st Hammer throw 65.05 m
World Championships Helsinki, Finland — Hammer throw NM
2006 South American Championships Tunja, Colombia 1st Hammer throw 69.07 m (CR)
South American U23 Championships /
South American Games		 Buenos Aires, Argentina 1st Hammer throw 66.48 m
2007 Pan American Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 3rd Hammer throw 68.37 m
World Championships Osaka, Japan 25th (q) Hammer throw 65.64 m
2008 Ibero-American Championships Iquique, Chile 2nd Hammer throw 64.89 m
Olympic Games Beijing, China 29th (q) Hammer throw 66.35 m
2009 South American Championships Lima, Peru 3rd Hammer throw 63.81 m
World Championships Berlin, Germany 17th (q) Hammer throw 68.90 m
2010 Ibero-American Championships San Fernando, Spain 1st Hammer throw 70.91 m
Continental Cup Split, Croatia 5th Hammer throw 66.25 m
2011 South American Championships Buenos Aires, Argentina 1st Hammer throw 72.70 m
World Championships Daegu, South Korea 10th Hammer throw 69.72 m
Pan American Games Guadalajara, Mexico 6th Hammer throw 67.11 m
2012 Ibero-American Championships Barquisimeto, Venezuela 2nd Hammer throw 71.23 m
Olympic Games London, United Kingdom – Hammer throw NM
2013 South American Championships Cartagena, Colombia 3rd Hammer throw 65.82 m
World Championships Moscow, Russia 17th (q) Hammer throw 68.90 m
2014 South American Games Santiago, Chile 2nd Hammer throw 67.94 m
Ibero-American Championships São Paulo, Brazil 1st Hammer throw 66.84 m
Pan American Sports Festival Mexico City, Mexico 6th Hammer throw 68.37m A
2015 South American Championships Lima, Peru 3rd Hammer throw 64.76 m
Pan American Games Toronto, Canada 7th Hammer throw 65.33 m
World Championships Beijing, China 21st (q) Hammer throw 67.68 m
2016 Ibero-American Championships Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 1st Hammer throw 67.34 m
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 27th (q) Hammer throw 63.03 m
2017 South American Championships Asunción, Paraguay 2nd Hammer throw 64.76 m
World Championships London, United Kingdom – Hammer throw NM
2018 South American Games Cochabamba, Bolivia 1st Hammer throw 70.98 m
Ibero-American Championships Trujillo, Peru 1st Hammer throw 68.89 m
2019 South American Championships Lima, Peru 3rd Hammer throw 65.06 m
Pan American Games Lima, Peru 10th Hammer throw 63.22 m

References
  1. Biografía - General - DAHLGREN Jennifer - Argentina (in Spanish), retrieved May 11, 2014
  2. "Jennifer Dahlgren - Premio Konex: Diploma al Mérito 2010".
  3. Pochat, Victor (2007-08-24). Focus on Athletes - Jennifer Dahlgren. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-01-28.
  4. Biscayart, Eduardo (2002-08-04). Brazil retains South American Junior crown – 7 area junior records fall. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  5. Biscayart, Eduardo (2005-07-24). Brazil wins overall at the South American Championships, Final Day. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  6. Biscayart, Eduardo (2006-05-17). Dahlgren takes South American hammer record beyond 70m. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  7. Biscayart, Eduardo (2006-10-02). Brazil confirms its South American domination in Tunja. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  8. Biscayart, Eduardo (2006-11-13). Brazil best at South American U-23. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  9. Biscayart, Eduardo (2007-07-24). Moreno takes Hammer with 75.20 Games record – Pan-American Games, Day Two. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  10. Hammer Throw - W Qualification Archived 2008-02-14 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (2007-08-28). Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  11. Biscayart, Eduardo (2008-05-23). 17.49m Triple Jump for Lewis the highlight in São Paulo. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  12. Biscayart, Eduardo (2008-06-15). Brazil leads after day 2 of Ibero-American Championships in Iquique. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  13. Biscayart, Eduardo (2009-06-20). Murer vaults 4.60m at South American Championships – Day 1 report. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
  14. Biscayart, Eduardo (2010-04-12). Prepping for Hammer Throw Challenge opener, Dahlgren breaks South American record in Buenos Aires. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-12.
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