Dagmara Wozniak

Dagmara Wozniak
Wozniak at the 2013 World Fencing Championships
Personal information
NicknameDaga[1]
Born (1988-07-01) July 1, 1988
Wrocław, Poland
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight180 lb (82 kg)
Fencing career
SportFencing
CountryUnited States
WeaponSaber
ClubManhattan Fencing Center
Head coachYury Gelman
FIE rankingCurrent ranking
Medal record
Women's fencing
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place2016 Rio de JaneiroTeam
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2014 KazanTeam
Bronze medal – third place2011 CataniaTeam
Bronze medal – third place2013 BudapestTeam
Bronze medal – third place2015 MoscowTeam

Dagmara "Daga" Wozniak (Polish: 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] 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] She was 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.

She has qualified to represent the United States in fencing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Dave (August 2, 2012). "London Olympics: Dagmara Wozniak's stab just misses mark". The Star-Ledger.
  2. ↑ "The 2008 Olympic Fencing Team". fencing.teamusa.org. Archived from the original on July 14, 2008.
  3. 1 2 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 July 25, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Dagmara Wozniak
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "home". USA Fencing.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Dagmara Wozniak Rides Passion for Fencing to the Olympic Games". Woodbridge, NJ Patch. August 22, 2012.
  7. ↑ NJSIAA History of Girls Fencing Championships Archived January 28, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
  8. ↑ Chang, Kathy. "Young fencer enjoys living on the edge: Woodbridge resident hoping for a spot on 2008 Olympic team"[link removed], 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.
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