Port Hope native and former Cobourg District Collegiate Institute (CDCI) West high school athlete Dominika Jamnicky placed fifth in the women’s triathlon Thursday at the Pan-Am Games in Santiago, Chile and earned the bronze medal with Canada’s mixed relay team on Saturday. 

Cobourg’s Kate Current placed seventh in the women’s 1,500 metre run on Friday. She was an athlete at Cobourg Collegiate Institute, which is the amalgamated school of the former CDCI West and CDCI East.

"I just could explode, I'm so proud of both of them," retired high school track and cross-country coach Dawn Watson said of her former athletes.

Watson worked with Jamnicky, even though she was at CDCI East across town, and credits CDCI West coaches John Cordukes and Chris Crooks for their coaching and work with the young athlete at the time as well. At CCI, Watson said Brad Johnson also played a key role in coaching Current.

Watson said all the coaches worked hard to prepare the athletes in their pursuit of excellence.

"It's just amazing to have been part of that little blip in their athletic career to help them get started," she remarked.

The Pan-Am Games, featuring nations of the Americas, are held every four years in the year prior to the Summer Olympics. The 2024 Olympic Games will be held in Paris next summer.

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