South Africa’s Golden Girl, Tatjana Smith, has secured South Africa’s first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
SA’s Tatjana Smith (formally Schoenmaker) has won the women’s 100m breast stroke at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Smith leading the ranking, sealing her Olympic gold at 1:05.28. China’s Tang Qianting scooped silver coming in at 1:05.54 and Ireland’s Mona McSharry clinched bronze at 1:05.59.
SA’s Golden Girl entered the 2024 Olympics with high expectations, after securing her Olympic champion status with a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke and a gold medal in the 200m breaststroke at Tokyo 2020.
At the Paris La Defense Arena on Sunday, she delivered two show-stopping wins in both her heat and semi-final races.
On Monday 29 July, Smith, proudly representing South Africa, bagged the nation’s first gold medal for the Paris 2024 Games.
🏅Gold Medal Alert! 🏅
Tatjana Smith wins the Women’s 100m Breaststroke! This is South Africa’s first gold medal at #Paris2024
Congratulations, Tatjana! 👏👏👏 #TeamSA #Olympics #ForMyCountry pic.twitter.com/spIHZA3m1R— Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) July 29, 2024
Smith has grown in leaps and bounds, striking from one success to another since her debut at Tokyo 2020, where she became the first South African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming since 1996.
Congratulations, Tatjana!
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Feature Image: Clive Rose / Getty Images