2024-08-01 20:04:43
Three days after her victory in the 100m breaststroke, Tatjana Smith went for silver at the 2024 Olympics on Thursday August 1, the swimmer failed to retain her Olympic title in the 200m breaststroke, beaten by American Kate Douglass. With two gold medals and two silver medals in his career at the Games, South Africa, one of the greatest breaststrokers, can retire with a quality record.
Published on: 01/08/2024 – 22:04
3 min
From our special correspondent at La Défense Arena,
The dream is over. After receiving his gold medal in the last meter in the 100m breaststroke finalTatjana Smith emerged as the favorite for the 200m breaststroke title JO 2024. Olympic history awaits you: you can emulate American Rebecca Soni, the only swimmer to retain her title at the Games (2004 and 2008). She can also follow in the footsteps of her fellow South African, Penelope Heyns, the only woman to win gold in the 100m and 200m breast in 1996 in Atlanta.
But exercise is not an exact science and even those who are promised the Grail can fail. Thursday May 1, at the end of the 200m breaststroke, Tatjana Smith fell to someone stronger than her. In the second half of the final, American Kate Douglass won and did not let go of her advantage. The swimmer from South Africa therefore finished with silver (2’19”60), while Douglass won gold and the American record (2’19”24).
« There is a world behind the river »
These Paris games appear as a reversed mirror of the previous ones in Tokyo. In Japan, Tatjana Smith, also known as Schoenmaker, won gold in the 200m breaststroke and silver in the 100m breaststroke. Having become a star in her country and in the world of swimming, the girl had difficulty supporting the sudden attention. Then he walked away from the high river for more than a year.
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This break proved to be a saving grace for the swimmer with Dutch roots. 2023 was a year of return and change: at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, South Africa won silver in the 100m breaststroke and gold in the 200m breaststroke, his favorite distance. Then, in November, she married her partner, Joel Smith, and took his name. For 2024, he also has a big goal with these Games in Paris, the city that leaves with a gold medal and a silver medal, like in Tokyo. In three years, and with this break lasting more than a year, Tatjana Smith has written her name in tablets.
And now, what does the future hold for the 27-year-old champion? It is not yet set in stone, but these 2024 Olympics are undoubtedly his swan song. After her gold medal on July 31, Tatjana Smith hinted that she could pick it up after these Paris Games. The four-time Olympic medalist doesn’t want to be defined solely by her performance in the pool. ” There is a world behind the river. I will not hurt myself because of this. I just try to enjoy it as much as possible. I will probably never swim again », he told reporters, daily reports Daily Maverick.
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