South Africa’s Golden Girl and Paris Games gold medalist Tatjana Smith is on track to make Olympic history at the 2024 Olympics.
SEE: Tatjana Schoenmaker and Joel Smith tie the knot in Robertson
After securing gold in the 100m breaststroke on Monday, Smith has swum her way to second place in the Women’s 200m breaststroke semi-final, securing her spot in the final on Thursday evening.
The 200m will be Smith’s final swim at the Paris Games, and her victory would mark an extraordinary double achievement.
Smith entered the Olympics with high expectations following her success at Tokyo Games in 2020. She has already delivered on her promise by clinching South Africa’s first gold medal of the Paris Games in the 100m breaststroke.
Now, the 27-year-old swimmer has a shot at becoming the second athlete in Olympic history to win both the 100m and 200m breaststroke gold medals in a single Games.
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“For my community, for South Africa. Now for the 200,” wrote Smith, following her golden victory in the 100m final on Monday.
In Wednesday’s semi-final, Smith demonstrated her skill by leading for most of the race. Although she was ultimately pipped by American Kate Douglas, her strong performance secured her a place in Thursday’s final.
“She showed her class as she led the race for most of the way,” writes IOL’s Lunga Biyela.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Smith claimed silver in the 100m breaststroke and gold in the 200m breaststroke, becoming the first South African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming since 1996.
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The Paris Olympics have been a triumph for South African swimming, with Smith’s teammate Kaylene Corbett also qualifying for the 200m breaststroke final.
In the men’s events, Pieter Coetze has secured a spot in the 200m backstroke final.
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Feature Image: Instagram / @tatjanaschoen
