Karel Tilga
 Tilga in 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 February 1998 Valga, Estonia |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Estonia |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Decathlon |
| College team | Georgia Bulldogs |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best | 8681 (2023) |
Karel Tilga (born 5 February 1998) is an Estonian athlete who competes in the decathlon.
Tilga was born in Valga[1] and grew up in Puka until the eight grade, when the family moved to Tartu.[2] He attended school at Tartu Kristjan Jaak Petersoni Gymnasium before enrolling at the University of Georgia, graduating in 2022.[1] In 2021 he won for Georgia Bulldogs (men) their fifth ever NCAA individual title (second in the heptathlon) by scoring a school record 6,264 to win the heptathlon at the NCAA Championships with the No. 2 all-time collegiate performance.[3] He scored a near 400 point-improvement on his decathlon lifetime best at the Specs Town Invitational in Athens, Georgia in April 2021 besting Garrett Scantling by just 8 points. Tilga's score reached the Olympic qualifying standard of 8350 points for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[4] At the Olympics he received 0 in pole vault and eventually finished 20th.[5] He did not finish the 2022 European Championships after also receiving 0 in pole vault.
He is the 2021 NCAA champion in decathlon.[6]
Tilga finished 9th at the 2022 World Indoor Championships.
Tilga was selected as the best male athlete of April 2021 of the European Athletics Association (EAA) and the best male athlete of Estonia in 2023.[1]
He competed in Paris at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the decathlon, finishing in eleventh place overall.[7]
International competitions
[edit]| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Estonia
| |||||
| 2017 | European U20 Championships | Grosseto, Italy | 3rd | Decathlon U20 | 8002 pts |
| 2018 | European Championships | Berlin, Germany | – | Decathlon | DNF |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 20th | Decathlon | 7018 pts |
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 9th | Heptathlon | 5964 pts |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | – | Decathlon | DNF | |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 4th | Decathlon | 8681 pts |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 11th | Decathlon | 8377 pts |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Tilga, Karel". Eesti spordi biograafiline leksikon (ESBL) (in Estonian). 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Suviste, Maarius (23 August 2023). "Esimesena medalita jäänud Puka vägilane: teised olid natuke paremad". Postimees (in Estonian). Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Karel Tilga - 2020-21 - Track & Field". University of Georgia Athletics.
- ^ "European Athletics | European Athletics". european-athletics.com.
- ^ "Athletics – Men's Decathlon – Results" (PDF). IOC. 5 August 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 August 2021.
- ^ Karel Tilga at World Athletics
- ^ "Men's Decathlon es Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
External links
[edit]- Karel Tilga at World Athletics
- Karel Tilga – University of Georgia profile at TFRRS (Track & Field Results Reporting System)
- Karel Tilga at Olympics.com
- Karel Tilga at Olympedia
- 1998 births
- Living people
- Estonian decathletes
- Georgia Bulldogs men's track and field athletes
- Sportspeople from Valga, Estonia
- Estonian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- Olympic athletes for Estonia
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
- NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics