Elka's most at home by the pool Elka at a NSW Sports Federation event

About Elka Elka Whalan (nee Graham) spent the best part of a decade at the top of Australian swimming. A dual Olympian (both Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004), she won Olympic silver in the 4 x 200m Freestyle relay and has come home with medals from World Championships, Commonwealth Games, the World Cup (Gold!) and Pan Pacific championships as well as World Short Course Championships   Elka has clocked both Australian and Commonwealth records including the Australian 400m Freestyle short course record, which she held for over five years. For more details on her swimming career, check out the Swimming section of the site.   Since retiring from competitive swimming, Elka has made a smooth transition into journalism and the media and has also been in great demand on the speaking circuit. She has appeared on all major free to air television stations (7, 9 and 10) as well as subscription TV’s Fox Sports. Elka also appeared in Channel 7’s smash hit series, DANCING WITH THE STARS in late 2007.   Elka has also agreed to modelling contracts and has appeared in many magazines, notably Marie Claire, Cleo, FHM and Alpha. She really enjoys modelling, especially when it can help a good cause, but the focus of her career moving forward will be the media.   Elka was the face of the AJC spring racing carnival in 2004, has written for Marie Claire magazine and currently writes frequent articles for the The Sun-Herald and New Idea magazine (see samples in the Media section of the site).   Elka supports many good causes, notably the Heart Foundation and Nelune Foundation (see Charities section of the site). She is passionate about dedicating her time to those in need.   Elka is not daunted by the expectations for future success that many people have placed upon her. She is energetic, vivacious and articulate, with an infectious smile and a great sense of humour. She sees life as a challenge, thrives on pressure and uses her enthusiasm to turn any situation into a positive.   With maturity and experience beyond her years, Elka Graham remains an asset to Australian sport as well as the wider community and is an inspirational role model for all. Her simple credo has always been: "Attitude, Effort and Persistence".