Two years ago, Zalika Methula had a dream to represent SA for diving at the Olympics. Now, she’s closer than ever after being selected for the World Aquatic Champs in Japan! Meet the diving starlet:
Global (30 May, 2023) — Zalika Methula is diving straight toward her dream of being an Olympic champion. Her recent selection to represent South Africa as part of South Africa’s diving squad for the World Aquatic Championships is a plunge closer to Paris (where the 2024 Olympics take place); a dream she’s had for years.
20th World Aquatic Championships – Fukuoka (Japan), 14 – 30 July 2023 >>> Team Announcement (Diving): https://t.co/1aRLM9Tsht #20thWorldAquaticChampionships2023 #Diving #TeamAnnouncement #TeamSA🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/FaDBoaTScg
— Swimming South Africa (@SwimSouthAfrica) May 26, 2023
This follows another huge milestone for the talented diver who, at 16 years old, was invited to dive at the FINA World Championship in Budapest—one of only two black divers (alongside Keratile Manaka) to achieve this.
But, Zalika’s talent almost comes second to her determination. She’s been diving since she was 9 years old, an age where the pool is more often than not associated with floaties. Breath-holding competitions. Maybe a handstand or two.
For Zalika, the diving itch turned into a passion — and one that might just lead South Africa to great heights and plunges. She was already awarded Most Promising Athlete earlier this year, and we can’t wait to see her hoist SA’s flag amongst the world’s diving stars.
The World Aquatic Champs are set to take place on the 14-30 July in Fukuoka and we’ll be rooting for all the epic divers—Julia Vincent, Bailey Heydra, Stefan Steenkamp and of course, Zalika Methula.
Meanwhile, in other en-route to the Olympics news, South Africa’s gymnastics team took gold recently, earning them an automatic qualification for the World Championships in Belgium and status as the Artistic Gymnastics Champs of the continent!
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