By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Credit the Source for Images.
Tatjana Smith (nee Schoenmaker) swam her way to her second Olympic medal in the 100 breaststroke at La Defense Arena on Monday night.
It’s one thing going into a final as the favourite, no matter how much you try to play down that tag. And favourite she was, after blitzing to wins in both the Sunday heats and semi-finals in identical times of 1:05.00. However, it’s another thing delivering on that.
Especially when you turn at the wall in fourth place and out of the medals at halfway. That was exactly the scenario as Chinas Quinting Tang led Ireland’s Mona McSharry and Italy’s Benedetto Pilato down the home stretch.
Turning on the turbos, Smith picked off her rivals one by one. First Pilato. Into bronze. Then McSharry. Into silver. And then to touch off Tang. Gold.
The time was 1:05.28, which was slower than her identical marks of 1:05.00 in both the heats and semi-finals on Monday. That’s not important right now. The gold medal is what counts and it took Team SA’s total to three, after Alan Hatherly won bronze earlier in the men’s mountain biking cross-country.
Smith’s own Olympics tally has now grown to three, with two golds and a silver, and one more will see her equal Chad le Clos on four, the most of any South African Olympian. The chances of her adding to that total later in the week are high, given she’s the reigning champion in the 200m.
