WOZNIAK Dagmara

Personal Information

Family Partner Anthony Flask

Residence Jersey City, NJ, USA

Occupation Athlete, Coach

Languages English, Polish

Higher education Biology - St John's University: New York, NY, USA

License number 01071988000

Club

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Sport Specific Information

When and where did you begin this sport? She tried gymnastics, karate and tennis before taking up fencing at age 10 at the Polish-American Fencing School in Linden, NJ, United States of America.

Why this sport? Her father enrolled her in a fencing class, where she started with epee. "I think it was more to keep me busy and to help me practise the language as my coach was Polish. It was an after-school programme kind of thing and I did it once or twice a week and I just started falling in love with it. The best thing about fencing was that I could hit other kids and not get in trouble. I was such a tomboy growing up and would fight with boys in the streets to stand up for myself. Sometimes I started the fights but nothing was ever too crazy. I just hated being told you can't do something because I'm a girl."

Club / Team Manhattan Fencing Center: New York, NY, USA

Name of coach Yury Gelman [club]

Handedness Left

General Interest

Nicknames Daga (Facebook profile, 16 Jun 2019)

Memorable sporting achievement Winning bronze in the women's sabre team event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 04 May 2021; usafencing.org, 03 Feb 2021)

Most influential person in career Her family, and coach Yury Gelman. (The Players' Tribune YouTube channel, 29 Jun 2021; pursu.it, 14 Nov 2014)

Hero / Idol US footballer Mia Hamm, US fencers Keeth Smart, Ivan Lee, Sada Jacobson and Alexis Jemal. (redstormsports.com, 08 Jul 2008)

Injuries In October 2021 she underwent foot surgery. (Facebook page 12 Oct 2021)

Her preparations for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo were affected by muscle tears to her calf and hip. (The Players' Tribune YouTube channel, 29 Jun 2021)

She tested positive for COVID-19 shortly before the 2021 World Cup event in Budapest, Hungary, and was unable to travel for the competition. (The Players' Tribune YouTube channel, 29 Jun 2021)

She underwent surgery on her Achilles tendon in 2019. (usafencing.org, 03 Feb 2021)

After she was knocked out of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, her coach revealed that she had a torn right Achilles tendon that required surgery. She was able to compete due to painkillers and tape. (nj.com, 01 Aug 2012)

She sprained her ankle in 2005 and missed two months of competition. (gmnews.com, 16 Aug 2006)

Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs "I have a collection of bracelets that I have with me [during competitions] but I don't always wear all of them. It's a reminder of the people that believe in me no matter what the result or performance is. I also like to listen to a playlist that pumps me up. Before the match, I take three deeps breaths and focus on the opponent in front of me." (wmagazine.com, 16 Jun 2016)

Sporting philosophy / motto "Learn how to lose, and learn from losing." (digitaljournal.com, 11 Dec 2018)

Other information EUROPE TO THE UNITED STATES
Born in Poland, she moved to the United States of America with her parents as a refugee at around age one. "My dad brought us to the United States because Poland had been under communism for a while and it was not something that he wanted for his children. There were a lot of things enforced on their daily lives and my dad decided, 'We're going to get out of here'. They made sure to tell him he could go, but we [the rest of the family] had to stay behind. My dad had a small suitcase and something like 40 dollars, and came over to the United States, worked for a little bit and then we had to come over. There's a lot of pressure I do feel, not from my parents, to succeed because of our story - I want them to feel proud and I want them to feel that they made the right decision." (The Players' Tribune YouTube channel, 29 Jun 2021; Facebook page, 23 Jun 2017)

OLYMPIC FUTURE
In 2021 she said she was unsure if she would aim to compete the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, having struggled with injuries during the Olympic cycle for the 2020 Games in Tokyo. "I don't know if it [the 2020 Games] will be my last Olympics. I don't know if you're ever really ready to walk away. It's a combination of do I put myself through that and risk something else happening, or walk away not feeling 100% fulfilled." (The Players' Tribune YouTube channel, 29 Jun 2021)

COACHING
In October 2021 she was appointed as an assistant fencing coach at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, United States of America. "I'm honoured to be a part of this programme. I can't wait to share my years of experience on and off the strip." (Facebook page, 31 Mar 2022; gocrimson.com, 08 Oct 2021)