Jessica Zelinka
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Born | September 3, 1981 London, Ontario |
| Height | 172 cm / 5'8" |
| Weight | 62 kg / 135 lbs |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Heptathlon |
| Club | Independent |
| Now coaching | Les Gramantik |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 6490 points, Beijing, August 2008 |
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Medal record
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| Updated on October 2010. | |
Jessica Zelinka (born September 3, 1981 in London, Ontario) is a Canadian pentathlete and heptathlete. Her personal best score is 6490 points, which was achieved at 2008 Summer Olympics and is the Canadian record for the event. She was the gold medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games and was runner-up at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
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[edit] Career
Zelinka first became interested in track and field in elementary school and competed in her first heptathlon at 16. Her first international competition was the 2000 IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics, where she was fifth in the heptathlon and also competed in the heats of the 100 meter hurdles. Zelinka's first major global outing came at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics and she finished in eleventh place. She just missed out on the medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games having finished in fourth place. Regional success came at the 2007 Pan American Games as she fended off Gretchen Quintana, among others, to top the podium and take the gold medal. She was selected for the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, but did not compete. She finished in fifth place at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
After her Olympic appearance, she took the 2009 season off from competition and had a daughter with her partner Nathaniel Miller, a Canadian international in water polo.[1]
Building up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, she finished third in the heptathlon at the Décastar meeting in Talence, France. She earned a season's best total of 6204 points.[2] At the games Zelinka was battling the Delhi Belly that affected many athletes in Delhi. Despite the challenges she managed to finish a respectable second and win the silver. Though she did medal Zelinka admitted some disappointment as she had gone to Delhi to win gold.[3] Zelinka's medal was notable however as she just had a baby the previous year and had taken that season off and returned to competition only in this year of 2010.[3]
Zelinka's coach is Les Gramantik.
[edit] Results
| Competition | Place | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ||
| Canadian Track and Field Championships, Windsor, ON - Canada | 1st | 6017 |
| 11th Meeting International d'Arles, Arles - France | 11th | 5329 |
| IAAF Combined Events Challenge, Götzis - Austria | 21st | 6034 |
| 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Beijing - China | 5th | 6490 |
| 2007 | ||
| 2007 Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro - Brazil | 1st | 6136 |
| World Combined Events Challenge, Arles - France | 2nd | 6218 |
| IAAF Combined Events Challenge, Götzis - Austria | 4th | 6343 |
| 2006 | ||
| 32nd Hypo-Meet, Gotzis - Austria | 4th | 6314 |
| 9th Meeting International d'Arles - France | 1st | 6314 |
| 2006 Commonwealth Games, Melbourne - Australia | 4th | 6213 |
| 2005 | ||
| 31st Hypo-Meet, Götzis - Austria | 11th | 6137 |
| Canadian Track and Field Championships, Winnipeg, MB - Canada | 1st | 5723 |
| IAAF, Arles - France | 4th | 6088 |
| 2004 | ||
| Canadian Track and Field Championships, Victoria, BC - Canada | 1st | 5890 |
| Décastar de Talence - France | 6th | 5757 |
| 2003 | ||
| Canadian Track and Field Championships, Victoria, BC - Canada | 3rd | 5716 |
| 2001 | ||
| Canadian Track and Field Championships, Edmonton, AB - Canada | 1st | 5356 |
| Toledo Invitational, Toledo, OH - United States | 1st | 5423 |
| 2000 | ||
| Canadian Combined Junior Events Championships, Windsor, ON - Canada | 1st | 5465 |
| 2000 IAAF World Junior Championships, Santiago - Chile | 5th | 5688 |
| 1998 | ||
| Junior Multi-Event Dual Meet, Dordrecht - Netherlands | ? | 5250 |
Source: Athletics Canada and IAAF
According to Jessica's profile on the 2006 Commonwealth Games, she missed much of the 1999 outdoor season because of an illness, as well as the 2002 season due to a back and hamstring injury.
[edit] Sponsors
One sponsor during the 2008-2009 season was Aird & Berlis LLP. Olympic news about Jessica Zelinka can be found on Aird & Berlis LLP's Quest for Gold mini-site.
[edit] References
- ^ Spencer, Donna (2011-06-23). Olympic pair ‘not easy on each other’. The Chronicle Herald. Retrieved on 2011-06-24.
- ^ van Kuijen, Hans (2010-09-19). Suarez and Chernova prevail in Talence - IAAF World Combined Events Challenge. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-09-19.
- ^ a b Randy Starkman (9 October 2010). "Heptathlete Jessica Zelinka goes the extra mile". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/sports/commonwealthgames/article/873309--heptathlete-jessica-zelinka-goes-the-extra-mile. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
[edit] External links
- www.jessicazelinka.com Jessica Zelinka's Official Website
- IAAF profile for Jessica Zelinka
- Biography at Athletics Canada
- Profile at Canadian Sport Centre Ontario
- RIO 2007 Canadian Olympic Team Handbook: Profile and Results
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- 1981 births
- Living people
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Canadian heptathletes
- Canadian sportswomen
- Olympic track and field athletes of Canada
- People from London, Ontario
- Track and field athletes from Ontario
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games competitors for Canada
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games competitors for Canada
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Canada
