Dagmara "Daga" Wozniak ( pl, Woźniak; born July 1, 1988) is an American
saber
A sabre ( French: sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...
fencer. Wozniak was named to the U.S. Olympic team at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in women's saber competition as a substitute, and as a competitor at the
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
and
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
.The 2008 Olympic Fencing Team /ref>Dagmara Wozniak /ref> As of the summer of 2016, she was ranked as one of the top 10 saber fencers in the world.
Early life and education
Her parents are Gregory and Irena Wozniak and she has an older sister, Zuzanna. She was born in
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
, Poland. When Wozniak was one year old, she immigrated to the United States with her parents. The family settled in
Avenel, New Jersey
Avenel is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Woodbridge Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States.
Wozniak graduated from
Colonia High School
Colonia High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades in the Colonia section of Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It operates as part of the ...
in
Woodbridge Township, New Jersey
Woodbridge Township is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a regional hub for Central New Jersey and a major bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York metropolitan area located within the ...
in 2006. She was the New Jersey high school sabre champion in 2005. She went on to attend St. John's University, where she majored in Biology.
Fencing career
Wozniak began fencing at age 9 at the Polish American Fencing School (PAFS) in
Linden, New Jersey
Linden is a city in southeastern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area, located about southwest of Manhattan and bordering Staten Island, a borough of New York City, across the Arthur Kill ...
Yury Gelman
Yury Gelman (born October 13, 1955) is a Ukrainian-born American five-time Olympic fencing coach for the United States (Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London, and Rio 2016), National Men's Sabre Coach, and Head Fencing Coach for 2001 NCAA champion St. ...
. She won three team medals at the Junior World Fencing Championships.
Wozniak was an Olympic alternate in the
2008 Olympic Games
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in Beijing but did not compete. She became a full member of the U.S. team at the
2012 Olympic Games
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
and placed eighth, losing to
Sofiya Velikaya
Sofiya Aleksandrovna Velikaya ( rus, Софья Александровна Великая, , ˈsofʲjə vʲɪˈlʲikəjə; born 8 June 1985) is a Russian sabre fencer.
Velikaya is a former European champion (four-time individual, six-time t ...
of Russia in the quarterfinals by the score of 15–13. It was later revealed that she had fenced with a partially
torn Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon rupture is when the Achilles tendon, at the back of the ankle, breaks. Symptoms include the sudden onset of sharp pain in the heel. A snapping sound may be heard as the tendon breaks and walking becomes difficult.
Rupture typic ...
.
After winning bronze medals in the team competition at the
2011 World Fencing Championships
The 2011 World Fencing Championships was held at Catania, Italy from 8–16 October.
Medal table
Men's events
Women's events
External links
FIEOfficial website
{{World Fencing Championships
World Fencing Championships
W
Fencing Cham ...
, and the 2012 and 2013 Senior World Championships, Wozniak won a gold medal with Team USA in 2014.
As of the summer of 2016, she was ranked among the top 10 saber fencers in the world. She represented the
United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics
The United States, represented by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from August 5 to 21, 2016. U.S. athletes have appeared in every Summer Olympics of the modern era, with the exc ...