DUKARSKA Monika

General
FROM POLAND TO IRELAND
Born in Poland, she emigrated from the city of Poznan to Ireland with her family in 2006. She gained Irish citizenship in October 2012. "My mother lost her job in Poland and came to Ireland first to find work. Three months later she sent for us to come after she found a full-time job." (The Kerryman, 10 Jun 2020; irishexaminer.com, 25 May 2019)

REPRESENTING IRELAND
After she took up rowing she considered representing her country of birth before deciding to compete for Ireland. "I went to Poland in 2007 and 2008 for trials but then I thought, 'I started rowing in Ireland, why would I row for Poland?' This is the country that gave me rowing. I live here, so I declared for Ireland and I'm a Kerry girl now." (The Kerryman, 10 Jun 2020; irishexaminer.com, 25 May 2019)

RIO DISAPPOINTMENT
She took time away from the national team after missing the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "Things hadn't worked out, and I wasn't feeling the same passion. I took time away from the team. After the 2015 World Championships in France, I went home. I got back to my home club, and the coach, Michael Fleming, who started me on day one, looked after me again. He's a great mentor of mine. Winning a world medal and getting to the Olympics is unfinished business that I want to get ticked off the list. I love the sport. I couldn't stay away from it. My goal is to get to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo." (The Irish Mail on Sunday, 12 May 2019)

FURTHER EDUCATION
Between 2012 and 2014 she studied for a master's degree in entrepreneurship at the Institute of Technology in Tralee, Ireland. In 2017 she completed a master's degree in innovation and design at the same institution, and then started a PhD in education. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2020; irishexaminer.com, 25 May 2019)