By Phenyo Selinda
Paris, France – South African swimmer Tatjana Smith has once again proven her prowess on the global stage by winning the silver medal in the 200m breaststroke at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has hailed Smith’s achievements as a shining example of the power and potential of women in sport.
Competing at the prestigious La Défence Arena on Thursday evening, Smith was narrowly beaten by American Kate Douglass, with a mere 0.36 seconds separating them at the finish. This silver medal adds to Smith’s impressive haul at the 2024 Paris Games, having already claimed gold in the 100m breaststroke earlier in the competition.
Reflecting on her dual triumphs, McKenzie praised Smith’s resilience and skill. “It was Smith’s second medal of the 2024 Paris Games, after taking the 100m gold, and a flip reversal of what she produced at her first Olympics in Tokyo on that occasion, taking silver in the 100m and gold in the longer, more favoured 200m,” he said.
Smith’s latest achievements have cemented her status as South Africa’s greatest-ever Olympian. She now holds four Olympic medals – two golds and two silvers – equalling the tally of celebrated swimmer Chad le Clos, but surpassing him in terms of gold medal count.
“While Penny Heyns, in 1996, remains the last women’s breaststroker to do the double, Smith tied with Japan’s Kosuke Katajima as the only four-time breaststroke medallists in Olympic history, both men and women,” noted the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC).
Minister McKenzie expressed the nation’s pride and admiration for Smith’s sportsmanship and competitive spirit. “Tatjana, as a nation we are bursting with pride tonight. You fought to the end and were beaten only in the turns by a classy American competitor, Kate Douglass. I applaud you for your warm smile and your honest congratulations for your gold-medal rival in the lane next to you,” he said.
He added, “Being able to stay gracious in victory and defeat is what the world will remember most about you, and it is a quality that defines most South Africans. You are a shining example of humility with a killer competitive spirit and undying will to win. May all our young people look up to your example and try to equal or surpass you in future.”
Minister McKenzie emphasised the importance of continuing to support women in sport. “South Africa must continue to bring more women into all sports and support them to break every record,” he concluded.
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