PALJK Tilka

18 Feb 1997
24
Female
Olympic Scholarship
POSTOJNA
 
Slovenia
PRETORIA
 
South Africa

Events and Medals

Discipline Event Rank Medal
SWM Swimming Women's 50m Freestyle  

Schedule

Change
Start Time Location Event Status
Tokyo Aquatics Centre
Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

:
World Championships
YearLocation50Free50Breast100Breast200Breast4x100Medley X
2019Gwangju, KOR-H (32.37)H (1:15.02)--
2017Budapest, HUN-H (32.72)H (1:12.65)--
2015Kazan, RUS--H (1:17.13)H (2:55.98)H (4:14.40)
2013Barcelona, ESPH (29.05)H (34.28)---

African Games
YearLocation50Free50Breast100Breast4x100Medley X
2019Casablanca, MAR7th (27.39)3rd (32.92)Finals (1:13.78)H (4:27.78)

African Championships
YearLocation50Breast100Breast
2018Algiers, ALG2nd (32.15)4th (1:13.41)

World Championships Short Course
YearLocation50Free100Free50Breast100Breast4x50Medley X
2018Hangzhou, CHN--H (31.84)H (1:11.22)-
2016Windsor, ON, CANH (26.89)H (58.67)H (32.29)H (1:11.48)H (1:50.01)


Legend
Free - Freestyle, Back - Backstroke, Breast - Breaststroke, Fly - Butterfly, IndMed - Individual Medley, SF - Semifinal, H - Heats, DNS - Did Not Start, M - Men, W - Women, X - Mixed, DSQ - Disqualified, [Relay athlete without time] - Did not swim in final
:
Tilly, Tilk, Princess, Tipee, Incredible Paljk, Pinky, Captain, Aunty Tiwka (tilkapaljk.com, 13 Jul 2018)
:
Athlete
:
Montessori Centre South Africa, South Africa
:
English
:
Vikings Racing Club [Pretoria, RSA]
:
Gerhard Zandberg [club], RSA; Ian Henderson [national]
:
Her cousin Kumaren Naidu has represented Zambia in swimming and competed at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, Republic of Korea. (tilkapaljk.com, 13 Jul 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 12 Mar 2020)
:
2013 for Zambia (postzambia.com, 26 Jul 2013)
:
In 2021 she contracted COVID-19. As a result, she missed training and competitions, before making a full recovery. (nkwazimagazine.com, 15 Jun 2021)

She suffered a back injury in late 2017 that carried over into early 2018. (tilkapaljk.com, 13 Jul 2018)
:
She took up swimming at age five and began competing at age nine. (allafrica.com, 03 Nov 2013)
:
She became involved in swimming through an after-school programme. (sportsgazette.co.uk, 29 Oct 2018)
:
To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Toyko. (akomanet.com, 08 Aug 2016)
:
"Be disciplined, never give up." (Facebook page, 14 Nov 2018)
:
In 2021, she was named on Forbes Africa's 30 Under 30 list. (magazinne.uzacoona.com, 01 May 2021)

She was named 2019 Sportswoman of the Year at the Zambia Sports Awards. (lusakatimes.com, 25 Jan 2020; Twitter profile, 25 Jan 2020)

She was named Sportswoman of the Year at the 2018 Zambian Woman of the Year Awards. (themastonline.com, 08 Mar 2018)

She was named the 2014/15 Swimmer of the Year by the Zambia Amateur Swimming Union. (times.co.zm, 29 Mar 2015)

General Interest

General
FROM SLOVENIA TO ZAMBIA
She chose to represent Zambia instead of her birth country, Slovenia. She first travelled to Zambia to visit her grandmother and fell in love with the country. "That was the beginning of my love affair with Zambia and 19 years on [in 2016], that love has continued to blossom. Many people question my obsession with this African country but I guess love is inexplicable. I am a daughter of the soil, a Lenje, a Zambian." Following the death of her mother in 2014 she moved from Slovenia to South Africa to live with one of her guardians, before earning a scholarship to SPIRE Swimming Academy in Geneva, OH, United States of America in 2017. She moved to South Africa in 2018 due to the lack of swimming facilities in Zambia. (akomanet.com, 08 Aug 2016; zambianobserver.com, 19 Jan 2021; nkwazimagazine.com, 15 Jun 2021)

PERSONAL LOSS
She says that the passing away of her mother due to cancer led to her swimming as much as she could. "I kept going because my mum was diagnosed with cancer and my only outlet, somewhere where I can go and feel like life isn't falling apart, was in the pool. I swam as much as I could. I went to every session that I could just to get my mind off it. It was difficult after she passed away because I realised that I had no other reason to swim anymore but for myself. So I continued because it made me happy and that's how I got better." (sportsgazette.co.uk, 29 Oct 2018)

MENTAL HEALTH
She has struggled with her mental health in the past. After failing to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she suffered from depression. In March 2017 she moved to Geneva, OH, United States of America after earning a scholarship to train at the SPIRE Swimming Academy, but struggled to adapt to the training and diet. "It took a bit of a toll on me and I started seeing a psychologist, and she was really great and she really just helped me get through the tough time I was having. I've overcome mental health issues with the help of a lot of people, medication and medical professionals. I have seen psychologists, psychiatrists and I have the support of my family, and I'm grateful that I have a support system that for the most part understands." (zambianobserver.com, 19 Jan 2021; nkwazimagazine.com, 15 Jun 2021)

Legend
:
Gold Medal Event
:
Silver Medal Event
:
Bronze Medal Event
Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos