Jessica Zelinka: Heptathlon, 100m hurdles

Name: Jessica Zelinka
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta (Born in London, Ontario)
Coach: Les Gramantik
Age: 30
Personal Best: 6,599 Points (Heptathlon); 12.68 seconds (100m hurdles)

After having a baby in 2009, Jessica Zelinka may just be in the best shape of her life. At the Olympic Trials in June, she set a new Canadian record in the heptathlon with 6,599 points and surprised many fans by winning the 100m hurdles in 12.68 seconds. She will enter the London Olympics as a medal contender in the heptathlon and a potential finalist in the hurdles.

Zelinka will be competing in her second Olympics after an impressive fifth-place finish in Beijing. Zelinka is an all-around athlete with the strength, speed and stamina required for the 200m, 800m, 100m hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put and javelin. Although her personal bests are outstanding in each event, Zelinka’s best event is the hurdles, where she also qualified individually, beating former world medallists Priscilla Lopes-Schliep and Perdita Felicien.

Zelinka began competing in combined events at age 14. On her website (jessicazelinka.com), she notes that at age 9 she was already researching proper high jumping techniques. She chose to stay in Canada for University unlike other athletes of her calibre. Zelinka attended the University of Calgary and competed as a Dino for four years, winning five gold medals and one silver medal at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Championships. She also won the honour of top female athlete of the year in the CIS in 2006 and 1007.

Zelinka has participated in a number of international competitions including the Commonwealth Games, the Pan American Games, the world championships and the 2000 world junior championships.

Zelinka finds support through her husband and fellow Olympian Nathanial Miller and daughter Anika who was born in May of 2009. Miller competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a Water Polo player. They met in a Kinesiology class at the University of Calgary and wed in 2009.

Related Links:
One disqualified, two false starts in hurdles drama