University of Georgia Athletics
Karel Tilga Earns National Athlete Of The Week Honor
April 13, 2021 | Track & Field
ATHENS, Ga. --- Georgia junior Karel Tilga has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I National Men's Athlete of the Week following the Spec Towns Invitational.
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This marked the first USTFCCCA weekly honor outdoors for the Bulldog men since former NCAA champion heptathlete Devon Williams earned the accolade during the 2017 outdoor season.  Senior Marie-Therese Obst has already garnered the National Women's Athlete of the Week honor once this season for her record-breaking performance in the javelin.
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Tilga, a native of Tartu, Estonia, completed his first collegiate decathlon in two years with the second-best score (8,484) in collegiate history to win the Spec Towns Invitational competition.  Winning three of 10 events and setting a school record, Tilga surged into the national lead by nearly 800 points and turned in the highest ever decathlon score before the month of May.
Tilga became the No. 4 all-time Estonian with his performance and easily cruised past the Olympic standard score of 8,350.  He was in a fierce battle with former Bulldog Garrett Scantling (8,476) & former Wisconsin Badger Zach Ziemek (8,213) for the title as the decathletes finished 1-2-3 in the world this year.
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How To Keep Up With The Dogs:Â Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack) and Snapchat (ugatrack).
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This marked the first USTFCCCA weekly honor outdoors for the Bulldog men since former NCAA champion heptathlete Devon Williams earned the accolade during the 2017 outdoor season.  Senior Marie-Therese Obst has already garnered the National Women's Athlete of the Week honor once this season for her record-breaking performance in the javelin.
Â
Tilga, a native of Tartu, Estonia, completed his first collegiate decathlon in two years with the second-best score (8,484) in collegiate history to win the Spec Towns Invitational competition.  Winning three of 10 events and setting a school record, Tilga surged into the national lead by nearly 800 points and turned in the highest ever decathlon score before the month of May.
Tilga became the No. 4 all-time Estonian with his performance and easily cruised past the Olympic standard score of 8,350.  He was in a fierce battle with former Bulldog Garrett Scantling (8,476) & former Wisconsin Badger Zach Ziemek (8,213) for the title as the decathletes finished 1-2-3 in the world this year.
Â
How To Keep Up With The Dogs:Â Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack) and Snapchat (ugatrack).
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Players Mentioned
Javelin
/ Track & Field
Multi-Events
/ Track & FieldMonday, May 18
Monday, May 18
Monday, May 18
Monday, May 18