Jessica Zelinka
Encyclopedia
Jessica Zelinka 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 medal
ist at the 2007 Pan American Games
and was runner-up at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
.
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
.
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. 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. 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.
Zelinka's coach is Les Gramantik.
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.
. Olympic news about Jessica Zelinka can be found on Aird & Berlis LLP's Quest for Gold mini-site.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
pentathlete
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
and heptathlete
Heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...
. Her personal best score is 6490 points, which was achieved at 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
and is the Canadian record
Canadian records in track and field
The following is a list of national outdoor athletics records for Canada maintained by Canada's national athletics federation: Athletics Canada .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distance# = not recognised by federation...
for the event. She was the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
ist at the 2007 Pan American Games
2007 Pan American Games
The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to July 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Committees competed in 332 events in 34 sports and in...
and was runner-up at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
.
Career
Zelinka first became interested in track and fieldTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
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
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
and she finished in eleventh place. She just missed out on the medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Athletics at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held in Melbourne, Australia from 19 March to 25 March 2006. A total of 47 events were contested, of which 24 by male and 23 by female athletes. Furthermore, three men's and three women's disability events were held within the programme...
having finished in fourth place. Regional success came at the 2007 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 2007 Pan American Games
The athletics competition at the 2007 Pan American Games was held at the Flamengo Park and Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro between 22 July and 29 July 2007...
as she fended off Gretchen Quintana
Gretchen Quintana
Gretchen Quintana Cordero is a female heptathlete from Cuba, who competed for her native country at the 2008 Summer Olympics.-Achievements:-External links:*...
, among others, to top the podium and take the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
. She was selected for the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
, but did not compete. She finished in fifth place at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
After her Olympic appearance, she took the 2009 season off from competition and had a daughter with her partner Nathaniel Miller
Nathaniel Miller
Nathaniel Miller is a male water polo player from Canada. He won three bronze medals at the Pan American Games with the Canada men's national water polo team during his career....
, a Canadian international in water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
.
Building up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
, she finished third in the heptathlon at the Décastar
Décastar
Décastar is an annual athletics competition that takes place in Talence, in Gironde. Organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations , it is one of the athletics meetings that make up the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge...
meeting in Talence
Talence
Talence is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Bordeaux, and is adjacent to it on the south side...
, France. She earned a season's best total of 6204 points. At the games Zelinka was battling the Delhi Belly
Traveler's diarrhea
Traveler's diarrhea , is the most common illness affecting travelers. An estimated 10 million people—20% to 50% of international travelers—develop it annually. TD is defined as three or more unformed stools in 24 hours passed by a traveler, commonly accompanied by abdominal cramps, nausea, and...
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. 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.
Zelinka's coach is Les Gramantik.
Results
| Competition | Place | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ||
| Canadian Track and Field Championships, Windsor, ON - Canada | 1st | 6017 |
| 11th Meeting International d'Arles Meeting International d'Arles The Meeting International in Arles, France was an annual athletics meet in which international athletes competed in the Decathlon and Heptathlon. The meeting took place in Stade Fernand Fournier in early June. It was a part of the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge. The last edition of the event... , 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 2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to July 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Committees competed in 332 events in 34 sports and in... , 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 Meeting International d'Arles The Meeting International in Arles, France was an annual athletics meet in which international athletes competed in the Decathlon and Heptathlon. The meeting took place in Stade Fernand Fournier in early June. It was a part of the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge. The last edition of the event... - France |
1st | 6314 |
| 2006 Commonwealth Games 2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site... , 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 Décastar Décastar is an annual athletics competition that takes place in Talence, in Gironde. Organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations , it is one of the athletics meetings that make up the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge... 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.
Sponsors
One sponsor during the 2008-2009 season was Aird & Berlis LLPAird & Berlis LLP
Aird & Berlis LLP , is a full-service Canadian law firm. It is located in the Bay Street financial district of Toronto and employs over 120 lawyers....
. Olympic news about Jessica Zelinka can be found on Aird & Berlis LLP's Quest for Gold mini-site.
External links
- www.jessicazelinka.com Jessica Zelinka's Official Website
- Biography at Athletics Canada
- Profile at Canadian Sport Centre Ontario
- RIO 2007 Canadian Olympic Team Handbook: Profile and Results