‘This time the decision is mine’ — Tatjana Smith returns to competitive swimming

When Tatjana Smith announced her retirement following the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, it came as a surprise to many. 

At just 27 years old, Smith was at the peak of her career after having just won Olympic gold and silver in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, and cemented her status as one of the world’s leading breaststroke athletes. 

But Smith (formerly Schoenmaker) does not regret stepping away. If anything, the break helped her rediscover her passion for the sport. 

Now, less than two years later, Smith is returning to competitive swimming.

But she is doing it on her own terms. 

In a statement released on Monday, 21 September, the two-time Olympic champion announced that she will mark her comeback at the South African Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg from 24 to 27 September. 

‘I am coming back because I want to’

Her return marks a new chapter in her relationship with the sport that has shaped much of her life, one driven with a clearer understanding of why she wants to be in the pool and how she wants to approach this next chapter. 

“When I announced my retirement from swimming, I genuinely believed that chapter of my life was over,” said Smith. “With some distance, I realised that stepping away had been the right decision for me at that time.” 

“I had always believed that swimming was something I did, not who I was,” she added. “Stepping away proved that to me. I discovered that I could have a full life beyond the pool and still choose to swim. 

“I am coming back because I want to. This time, the decision is mine.” 

Smith is South Africa’s most decorated Olympic athlete. Across the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympic Games, she won four individual medals in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, including two gold and two silver. 

Chad le Clos also has four Olympic medals, one of which is gold and the rest silver.

She is also a former 200m breaststroke world record holder, having set the world record at the Tokyo Games. 

Additionally, she has four Commonwealth Games medals and three World Championship podiums. 

In the 2023 World Championships in Japan, Smith secured gold in the 200m breaststroke, becoming the first South African woman to win a gold medal at the event. 

However, after flirting with retirement a few times, the weight of expectation that comes with elite sport left her feeling as if she had no choice but to step away. 

For much of her career, swimming was an opportunity given to her by her parents and Smith felt a responsibility to make the most of it. 

When she retired, Smith had no intention of returning. But the time away reshaped her relationship with swimming, allowing her the space to reflect on what she wanted from this next stage of her life. 

With distance from competition, Smith also realised that she missed racing and competing and challenging herself in the pool. 

“The time away gave me perspective, but it also gave me power. Now I get to bring both of those things back into the pool,” said Smith. 

A new chapter

It is a complete reset for Smith with significant changes inside and outside the pool.

The 29-year-old is now redirecting her competitive focus to the 50m breaststroke, a newly added Olympic event, while the 200m, though still in contention, will no longer serve as her primary event. 

“I am choosing a new event that has no history,” said Smith on Instagram after announcing her return. “The 50m is different. One length, no turn, no room to settle. Almost no time to recover if the start, pull out, breakout or touch goes wrong. 

“It scares me, but it also excites me.” 

Smith is also training with a new group and under a new coach. 

After relocating to Cape Town with her husband and manager, Joel Smith, the Olympic champion will now swim under the guidance of Karin Hugo, who has coached South African Olympic swimmer Emma Chelius, at Lane Leader in Stellenbosch. 

Her previous coach was Rocco Meiring, a long-time mentor and father figure at the University of Pretoria who guided Smith’s career for more than 17 years.

“I am not coming back as the same athlete, or the same person,” said Smith. “It’s a new chapter, a new challenge, a new event, a new training group, a new city and a new coach.” 

A beleaguered federation

Smith’s return also comes at an important time for South African sport, with ongoing conversations around the experiences of athletes within the broader sporting landscape. 

She has recently been vocal about athlete welfare, challenging Swimming South Africa (SSA) over withheld prize money and limited commercial opportunities when competing.

Daily Maverick first reported in August that Smith had issued SSA a letter of demand seeking payment of interest allegedly retained after competition prize money was held for more than a year. 

Although SSA has since agreed to pay Smith the full amount of interest claimed, the matter raised serious concerns about the custodian’s handling of athlete funds and accountability to the athletes it serves. 

For context

Swimming icon Tatjana Smith issues demand to Swimming SA over prize money dispute

August 31, 2026

Additionally, the dispute unfolded against the backdrop of turmoil within the federation, with SSA president Alan Fritz and CEO Shaun Adriaanse both currently suspended by the Aquatics Integrity Unit.

Thus, while Smith is excited to return to competition, she said sporting excellence should be pursued in an environment where athletes feel supported and respected. 

“Athletes deserve to love their sport,” said Smith. “They deserve to feel safe, supported and respected within it. And they deserve the opportunity to pursue excellence without having to compromise who they are.” 

This weekend, for the first time in nearly two years, Smith will return to the starting blocks, set to compete in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke, as well as several relays. 

“It’s a new balance,” said Smith. “I have learned that I don’t have to choose between being an athlete and having a full life outside of sport. I can have both.” DM