On winning the bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics for Team USA, she said, “It was definitely the highlight of my career. It was an amazing experience. I had very high hopes for our team, shooting for gold, but coming home with something was definitely worthwhile. I was glad to see us bring it home.”
Regarding her future plans, she said, “I am still very much in love with strength and conditioning,” she said. “My goal is to hopefully help other athletes prepare in their competitive field.”
Wozniak shared that she is excited for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. Each day, she is motivated by her desire to strive for gold. “In all honesty, making a name for myself. My parents came to this country in search of a better life, and I don’t know what would have become of me if I stayed in Poland. I’m trying to make their life changes worth it,” she said.
For young athletes who wish to pursue fencing, she said, “Learn how to lose, and learn from losing.” “A lot of people get discouraged when they lose. There is so much you can learn from losing, and it shouldn’t be discouraging. Most athletes lose a lot more than they win. When you learn from those losses, then you can really fix things and tweak as you go forward, so the winning is more consistent,” she explained.
In her spare time, she revealed that she enjoys helping her friends organizing things, whether it is closets or salons. “I am really good with fixing things together and utilizing space,” she said, with a sweet laugh.
Digital transformation of fencing
On the impact of technology on the sport of fencing, Wozniak said, “Technology has made it more exciting and more spectator-friendly. I really do have high hopes that it will only improve. Technology adds a cool aspect of it since it is involved in everything now. We live our lives on it every day and all day.”
Regarding her use of technology in her daily routine, Wozniak expressed that she recently fell in love with the Whoop. “A Whoop is almost like a heart monitor but it also tells me how many hours of sleep I need to recover,” she said. “It seems a lot more accurate than a Fitbit in regard to monitoring heart rate and how hard I work in practice. I can track my workout, meditation, and fencing practice, and it calculates everything and works off an algorithm, and it tells me optimally, how many hours of sleep I need to get, and if my body is recovered for a hard workout the next day.”
For her fans, Wozniak said, “Thank you for the support, and thank you for following my journey.” She went on to define the word success as “setting goals and reaching those goals.”
To learn more about Olympic fencer Dagmara Wozniak, follow her on Instagram and on Facebook.
