GOLDSMITH: Tatjana now out to defend 200m crown
|Published
Golden girl: Tatjana Smith
South Africa’s golden girl Tatjana Smith won the country’s first gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris on Monday night.
Smith touched down first in a breathtaking women’s 100m breaststroke final to claim gold in the event she won silver in at the last Games in Tokyo.
But the job’s not yet done for the 27-year-old from Johannesburg, as she now sets out to successfully defend the 200m breaststroke title she won in Tokyo four years ago.
Lining up for the heats from 11am today, Smith aims to emulate the great Penny Heyns, who won gold in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke events at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
Of winning gold in the 100m, Smith says: “It was for everyone that has been with me, who believed in me and for my country as well.
“Our hashtag is ‘for my country...’ it really is, just to inspire someone at home and to know that they don’t have to disqualify themselves and potentially be an Olympic champion.”
She adds: “But the work is not done, I still have the 200 to go.”
"I literally just closed my eyes and was like.." 😂
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) July 30, 2024
Tatjana Smith reveals she actually didn't believe she touched first because she saw the lights on the other blocks.
We still can't get over that incredible final stretch 🇿🇦🥇#Paris2024 | #CloserToYourChampions pic.twitter.com/Bar6OdjQgR
In yesterday’s action, Team SA’s men’s hockey team got klapped 5-1 by Germany, the women’s sevens team beat Fiji 21-15 in the 11th place playoff, Matthew Sates finished sixth in his men’s 200m butterfly heat, while Paige Badenhorst ended fourth in the women’s singles sculls rowing quarterfinals and qualified for today’s semis at 10.24am.
Sarah Baum’s shortboard surfing event was postponed as well as the men’s triathlon which would have seen Henri Schoeman and Jamie Riddle go for gold.
TODAY’S TEAM SA SCHEDULE
ARCHERY
Men’s individual 1/32 limination round (7.16pm): Wiaan Roux vs Je Deok Kim (Kor)
HOCKEY
Women’s Pool B (10.30am): Team SA vs Great Britain
Men’s Pool A (7.45pm): Team SA vs Spain
ROWING
Women’s singles scull, semi-finals C/D (10.24am): Paige Badenhorst. Note: Badenhorst is competing for 13th to 24th position
Men’s pair, semi-final A/B (10.34am): John Smith and Christoher Baxter. How it works: There are two semi-finals of six boats. The first three in each go into final A and the remainder into final B. The medals come from final A
SWIMMING
Women’s 200m breaststroke heats (11am): Tatjana Smith, Kaylene Corbett
Men’s 200m backstroke, heats (11.27am): Pieter Coetze
Men’s 200m backstroke, semi-finals (9.47pm): Pieter Coetze
Women’s 200m breaststroke semi-finals (10.03pm): Tatjana Smith, Kaylene Corbett
TRIATHLON
Women’s individual (8am): Vicky van der Merwe
Men’s individual (10.45am): Henri Schoeman and James Riddle