By Jon Roe
That zany Zelinka has done it again. Only a week after setting a new Canadian record in the heptathlon at the Hypo Bank Invitational in Gotzis, Austria, Jessica Zelinka–the Dinos track tyrannosaur–tore up the field at the World Combined Events Challenge in Arles, France.
Zelinka’s lucky number must be 6,314 because not only did she use that point total to set the Canuck heptathlon record while placing fourth in Gotzis, she also matched it for the win in Arles, June 3-4.
Taking advantage of a 2.5 metres per second tail wind, Zelinka long jumped 6.23 metres, a personal best, topping the mark she set last weekend by 4 centimetres. She also knocked down another personal best in the javelin with a throw of 43.66 metres. There must be something special about hurling projectile weapons on French soil; Zelinka’s previous high was 42.88 metres set a year ago at the same competition.
Despite competing in events on back-to-back weekends, fatigue didn’t seem to affect Zelinka as she topped the podium over South Africa’s Janice Josephs, who had 6,248 points, and Ukraine’s Hanna Melnychenko, who finished with 6,055 points.
Now that she is finished her assault on Europe, Zelinka turns her attention back to home soil and the Canadian championship July 21-23 in Sherbrooke, Quebec.
“I was physically prepared for this meeting just one week after Gotzis, but mentally I was tired,” said Zelinka, 24, after the competition. “I am very pleased with my [personal bests] in the javelin and the long jump. Without big international championships this summer, the only important competition in the next few weeks is the Canadian championship.”
Zelinka returns to Calgary Thu., June 15.