Zelinka heads to Commonwealth Games

University of Calgary student-athlete Jessica Zelinka will not have to endure much more of the Canadian winter. The 23-year-old track and field competitor will leave Calgary on Wednesday, February 22 for Melbourne, Australia to prepare for the XVIII Commonwealth Games that begin on March 15.

Because of the distance involved, Jessica is leaving early to get acclimatized, train and compete in some competitions prior to the games.

The Commonwealth Games will be Zelinka's first major competition since her strong showing at the International Amateur Athletic Federation World Championship Meet held this past August in Helsinki, Finland. Competing on the world stage for the first time, Zelinka finished the seven events with a score of 6097, good enough for 11th place and a mere 16 points from a top ten finish. Zelinka's best score in the heptathlon is 6137 points set at an international competition in Gotzis, Austria in May 2005.

Jessica's event begins on March 21 with the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200 meters. The event concludes the following day with the long jump, javelin, and 800-meters.

Her score at the IAAF Championships was the best of any competitor from North America. Key medal contenders in the heptathlon at 2006 Commonwealth Games are Margaret Simpson (Ghana) who placed third with a point total of 6375 and Great Britain's Kelly Sotherton who finished fifth with a score of 6325 at the 2005 World Championships. Sotherton was the 2004 Olympic silver medalist.

Zelinka has sights set on finishing in the medals at the Commonwealth Games and perhaps eclipsing the Canadian record in the heptathlon that is currently held by Catherine Bond-Mills of Victoria, B.C. with 6194 points set at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria.

Because of the timing of the Commonwealth Games Jessica will not compete for the Dinos this year in Canadian Interuniversity Sport competition.

A fourth-year Communications & Culture student from London, Ontario, Zelinka was Canadian Interuniversity Sports Female Track Athlete of the Year in 2001 while at the University of Western Ontario and in 2003 and 2004 while at the University of Calgary. This past year she was instrumental in leading the Dinos to the Canada West Women's Track and Field Championship and has been Canada West Female Track Athlete of the Year the past three years. She had the misfortune of being injured in the first event at the 2005 CIS National Championship competition in Winnipeg. She was University of Calgary Female Athlete of the Year in 2003 and Calgary Booster Club/University of Calgary Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2005.