Paris Olympics, Day 3: Tatjana Smith Rallies to Win 100 Breast Gold
Tatjana Schoenmaker might have pressure at the Olympics in Paris. Tatjana Smith, though, had none.
The body under the cap is still the same one that won the 200 breaststroke in Tokyo in 2021, setting a world record. But the expectations of that swim aren’t saddling the mind in the cap, of the newly married Smith.
Swimming freely, Smith picked up her second first gold Monday night in a thrilling final. She got to the wall first in 1:05.28, clawing back seven tenths on the final 50 meters on Tang Quianting. Tang won silver in 1:05.54, .05 up on Mona McSharry. Lilly King was denied a medal at her third straight Olympics by .01, finishing tied for fourth with Benedetta Pilato in 1:05.60.
- World Record: Lilly King, USA, 1:04.13 (2017)
- Olympic Record: Tatjana Smith (nee Schoenmaker), South Africa, 1:04.82 (2021)
- Tokyo Olympic Champion: Lydia Jacoby, USA, 1:04.95
The ease with which Smith holds the pressure wasn’t always guaranteed. It’s taken time, Smith making the most of her three years between the games in the mentality department. Getting married provided not just a significant non-swimming life change but a handy lens through which to frame the transformation.
“It’s learning how to deal with that (pressure),” Smith said Sunday night after the semifinals. “So it’s really been through the years how I’ve learned that, and I think was my new surname, the pressure is off. There’s no more Schoenmaker. Everything came with Schoenmaker, so it really just feels like I can swim freely. I don’t have the pressure of Schoenmaker on me. I’m new and a different person.”
Smith was, in less metaphorical terms, the same swimmer in both prelims and semifinals, going 1:05.00 in both. Each time led the way. McSharry had been second in semifinals with an Irish record 1:05.51, followed by King.
She’s taken some traits with her into the second phase of her career. In Tokyo, she was slower in finals than in prelims, which allowed Lydia Jacoby to pull a surprise and grab gold, Schoenmaker grabbing gold. Smith was also slower by a quarter second, but she did what was needed in the final 10 meters to get her hand on the wall first.
“My main goal was just to do what I did in Tokyo and look around,” Smith said Sunday. “So my mentality the last 15 meters was just, close your eyes and get in there. I closed my eyes and touched the wall and had the red lights on my lane.”
It was a mixed zone of tears. They were happy from both Smith and McSharry. The latter’s was the only Irish Olympic swimming medal outside of Michelle Smith’s four in the Atlanta 1996 Games.
“I started crying on the podium and I haven’t really fully stopped crying yet,” she said. “It’s just unbelievable. I think it’s just the pinnacle of sport to have all your hard work pay off in something like this at this moment.”
The tears were less happy for Pilato, who finished fourth. Tang went out hard and was first at the wall, with Pilato and Smith even for fourth. King was seventh, too big a hole to climb out of. King’s 34.60 on the second 50 was the best of the race, and Pilato looked set to steal it from Lane 1. But Smith swooped in on the touch.
“It was really as close as it could have possibly been,” King said. “So it was really just about the touch. And I could have very easily been second and I ended up tying for fourth. That’s kind of the way luck of the draw with this race. Obviously disappointed but still got a lot of meet left and shifting my focus to the 200.”
Smith on Sunday mentioned the village it takes to raise an Olympian. She took it a step further Monday by wearing to the podium a T-shirt with the names of people back home who helped her get to this point.
In Paris, she’s turned pressure into poise. And with her best event still to come, it’s already turned into a medal.
“In Tokyo, it was my first Olympic Games,” Smith said. “I think I was more like, you kind of wanted to prove yourself. This time, I’m really just enjoying it. I know this is my last Olympics, so it’s definitely taking it all in and really having fun every race. Everything I do is to not stand behind the blocks and be worried. I know I’ve prepared as best as I could, and now it’s the fun part. It’s just to enjoy and embrace the burn, and I just love competing.”
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- STREAMING INFO
- DAY 1 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 1 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 2 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 2 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 3 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 3 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 4 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 4 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 5 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 5 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 6 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 6 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 7 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 7 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 8 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 8 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 9 FINALS RESULTS
The SAFFAS are on the board!
Great Gold for Smith.
Nothing except minors for the US tonight and Australia remains on top.