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SA WRAP: Smith calls time on glittering career after 200m breaststroke silver

olympics01 August 2024 21:25
By:Karien Jonckheere
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Tatjana Smith added a 200m breaststroke silver medal to the gold she won in the 100m breaststroke and then officially announced she is done with swimming.

The 27-year-old finished second behind American Kate Douglass (2:19.24) in a time of 2:19.60 to wrap up the Games as the most decorated South African Olympian and said afterwards: “I'm officially done. It's a relief, but I definitely know I'm probably, tomorrow, going to miss it already. It's been a big part of my life, it's 22 years that I've been swimming and it's been a big part of my family's life.

“I'm excited to also just live life, go play padel, go for a run without being worried about getting injured or something, eating whenever I want to, not eating at two o’clock exactly, and eating a chocolate whenever I want to.

“So it's all those small little things that people don't think about… everyone sees this bigger picture but it’s those small things that I just want to change. That's going to feel so weird but that’s going to be such an amazing experience.”

Smith was far from disappointed at missing out on defending the 200m title she won in Tokyo three years ago.

Had she done so, she would have become only the second woman in history after fellow South African Penny Heyns to complete a 100-200m double at the Olympics.

“It was incredible,” she said. “That’s what sport is about – it’s that battle. Obviously everybody wants to touch the wall first but I’m just as happy to get the silver medal because I love that competitiveness.

“It’s amazing to now celebrate the new champion. She has so much more to come. She wasn’t in Tokyo so I never got to race an Olympic final with her so I think that was just exciting on its own and to end off my career with a big fight was so worth it.

Meanwhile, speaking after the race, Heyns, who achieved the elusive double in Atlanta in 1996 commented: “I really don’t know what to say. Apparently it is hard to do the double. Every Olympic Games since I retired I expected someone to do the double but somehow it hasn’t been done again.

“In this Olympics I really thought Tatjana would do so but Kate Douglas was just too strong tonight. It was a great effort from Tatjana and a swim she can be proud of. I love her humility and good sportsmanship. She is a great role model for young athletes to emulate.”

Swimming in the same 200m breaststroke final in Paris on Thursday, as she did three years ago in Tokyo as well, was Smith’s training partner Kaylene Corbett, who finished seventh in a time of 2:24.46.

“There’s a lot to improve on from that race,” she said afterwards.

“Sometimes sport just is sport and you don't get everything right in a race, so I’m definitely a little bit disappointed in that race, but at the same time you can't be disappointed because this is where God placed you tonight and I know there's a blessing waiting for me at the end.”

AFRICAN RECORD

Earlier in the evening, Pieter Coetzé came close to bagging another medal for South Africa in the 200m backstroke final, reaching the final turn in fourth place.

But a tough final 50m saw him dropping down to seventh in the race that was won by Hungary’s Hubert Kos in 1:54.26.

There was some consolation for the 20-year-old South African, however, in that his time of 1:55.60 saw him breaking the 15-year-old national and continental record that was previously held by George du Rand.

“I think I normally like to save a little bit for the last 50 and I've been trying to change that up a little bit and find my rhythm in the first 50 and keep it instead of backing off and then going hard in the end,” he explained after the race.

“I think I really felt the burn in that last 50 and it came back and bit me a little bit, but still a PB.

“I'm thankful for how it played out and to go PB is always good, so I can’t be comparing myself to the other guys too much, but a medal would have been nice,” he added.

VAN ROOYEN LEADS SA CHARGE AT LE GOLF NATIONAL

Elsewhere, South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen was in joint sixth spot along with Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood among others after shooting an opening round four-under 67 as the Olympic golf tournament kicked off at Le Golf National.

He shot six birdies and an eagle but a double bogey on the final hole dropped him down to sixth.

Compatriot Christiaan Bezuidenhout shot a one-under 70 for a share of 29th place with two groups not able to finish their rounds before the threat of lightning stopped play.

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama shot a sparkling eight-under-par opening round to take the lead in the men's golf competition ahead of Xander Schauffele in a packed field.

The SA women’s hockey team went down 1-0 to Spain in their penultimate pool match, ruling them out of quarterfinal contention. They have one more pool match to come against the United States on Saturday.

SA archer Wian Roux’s first participation at the Olympic Games came to an end with a 6-0 loss to Korea’s Kim Je Deok in the individual 1/32 elimination round. T

he Korean has already claimed team gold at these Games so it was always going to be a tough ask for the South African to go head-to-head with him in the individual event.

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