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Jamnicky pushes to new level for third at Arena Games Powered by Zwift Montreal

Canadian comes back from disappointing morning to a podium-performance on Saturday's finals

Photo by: Kevin Mackinnon

Two-time Commonwealth Games participant Dominika Jamnicky scraped into the finals of Saturday’s Arena Games Powered by Zwift Montreal, but once she made it to the racing on Saturday night, she looked like a different athlete as she powered her way to a bronze-medal performance.

Jamnicky was all smiles as she finished the first of the three legs in the final.

“After this morning I thought either something was off, or I’m not cut out for this,” Jamnicky said after the race. “But I really turned things around and kept a positive mindset. That made a world of a difference. Once I just relaxed a little bit, things just started to flow a bit easier and the paces started to come. Once I took the stress off this morning and took a deep breath and had fun with it, things just came a lot easier.”

Dominika Jamnicky bounced back after a tough morning of qualifying, putting herself in podium contention almost right from the gun on Saturday night.

Jamnicky finished fifth in the second of the qualifying heats on Saturday, four seconds behind junior star Noemie Beaulieu. The fastest four from each qualifying heat, followed by the next two fastest athletes, qualified for the final, allowing Jamnicky to qualify for the final on Saturday night. In the final the 30-year-old was forced to push herself to the limit to nail the final spot on the podium.

“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done,” she said of the innovative race format. “Imagine the hardest brick you’ve ever done in your life – I haven’t seen heart rate numbers like that ever. It’s like a really hard, hard training session with all your friends and family cheering for you. What more could you want?”

Dominika Jamnicky on the treadmill at the Arena Games Montreal Final

After the tough morning, the result was a confidence boost for Jamnicky as she makes a run for the Canadian Olympic team for Paris next year.

“This was a really good way to test myself, see where I am this early in the season,” she said. “I’ve had a really good winter of training and am starting to put things together, so this is a step in the right direction. Paris is the goal. We have two talented women in the running right now, and lots of young ones coming up, so I’m going to do everything I can to put myself in the best position for Paris.”