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|
| Tilka
PALJK |
| Sport |
Swimming |
| NOC |
Zambia
|
| Gender | Women |
| Born | 18 Feb 1997
in Postojna, SLO |
| Height | 1.75 m |
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Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Pretoria, RSA |
General Interest |
Injuries |
She suffered a back injury in late 2017 that carried over into early 2018. (tilkapaljk.com, 13 Jul 2018) |
Awards and honours |
She was named flag bearer for Zambia for the opening ceremony of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (lusakatimes.com, 24 Jul 2021; Zambia Swimming Union Facebook page, 21 Jul 2021)
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 2014/15 Swimmer of the Year by the Zambia Amateur Swimming Union. (times.co.zm, 29 Mar 2015) |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
She took up swimming at age five and began competing at age nine. |
International Debut |
Year |
2013 |
Competing for |
Zambia |
Further Personal Information |
Languages |
English |
General Interest |
Other information |
FROM SLOVENIA TO ZAMBIA
She chose to represent Zambia instead of her birth country, Slovenia. She first travelled to Zambia to visit her grandmother. "That was the beginning of my love affair with Zambia and 19 years on [speaking 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. The name Tilka is a compromise. My father, a Slovenian, suggested my name be Otilija, but my mother disagreed and suggested the name Tilka instead. I think my name is more Slovenian than Zambian." (siol.net, 30 Jul 2021; zambianobserver.com, 19 Jan 2021; nkwazimagazine.com, 15 Jun 2021; akomanet.com, 08 Aug 2016)
PERSONAL LOSS
She says that swimming helped her to cope with the passing of her mother in 2014 due to cancer. Following the death of her mother she moved from Slovenia to South Africa to live with one of her guardians, before earning a scholarship to train for a year at SPIRE Swimming Academy in Geneva, OH, United States of America, in 2017. "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." (nkwazimagazine.com, 15 Jun 2021; sportsgazette.co.uk, 29 Oct 2018)
MENTAL HEALTH
She has spoken about experiencing mental health issues, and has worked with psychologists and psychiatrists. She says that a particularly challenging period was her year training in the United States of America in 2017. "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) |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete |
General Interest |
Famous relatives |
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) |
Nicknames |
Tilly, Tilk, Princess, Tipee, Incredible Paljk, Pinky, Captain, Aunty Tiwka (tilkapaljk.com, 13 Jul 2018) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Be disciplined, never give up." (Facebook page, 14 Nov 2018) |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
She became involved in swimming through an after-school programme. |
Club / Team |
Cardinals: South Africa |
Name of coach |
Ian Stephenson [national] |
Olympic Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 52 |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Freestyle |
27.34 |
World Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| Heats |
2022 |
Budapest, HUN |
50m Butterfly |
31.48 |
| Heats |
2022 |
Budapest, HUN |
50m Breaststroke |
33.64 |
| Heats |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
50m Breaststroke |
32.37 |
| Heats |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
100m Breaststroke |
1:15.02 |
| Heats |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
100m Breaststroke |
1:12.65 |
| Heats |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
50m Breaststroke |
32.72 |
| Heats |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
200m Breaststroke |
2:55.98 |
| Heats |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
100m Breaststroke |
1:17.13 |
| Heats |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
4:14.40 |
| Heats |
2013 |
Barcelona, ESP |
50m Breaststroke |
34.28 |
| Heats |
2013 |
Barcelona, ESP |
50m Freestyle |
29.05 |
World Championships Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| Heats |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
50m Breaststroke |
31.84 |
| Heats |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
100m Breaststroke |
1:11.22 |
| Heats |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
50m Breaststroke |
32.29 |
| Heats |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
100m Breaststroke |
1:11.48 |
| 80 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
100m Freestyle |
58.67 |
| 64 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
50m Freestyle |
26.89 |
| Heats |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
4 x 50m Medley Relay |
1:50.01 |
African Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 2 |
2018 |
Algiers, ALG |
50m Breaststroke |
32.15 |
| 4 |
2018 |
Algiers, ALG |
100m Breaststroke |
1:13.41 |
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