A sensational comeback! Two-time South African Olympic champion resumes career for a new distance

South Africa’s breaststroke queen is returning to the sport’s biggest stage with a bold new goal.

Details: South Africa’s most decorated athlete in Olympic history, two-time Olympic champion Tatjana Smith has officially announced her return to professional swimming after a two-year break. The 29-year-old swimmer plans to compete at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, making the 50-meter breaststroke sprint her main focus.

The champion’s key motivation for returning was the debut inclusion of the 50-meter breaststroke sprint in the Olympic program for Los Angeles 2028. Smith stressed that she is deliberately moving away from the traditional 100- and 200-meter events: in a pure sprint, there are no turns, no margin for error and no time to find your rhythm. The swimmer has already relocated to Stellenbosch, begun working with a new coach and will hit the pool this week at South Africa’s national short-course championships in Pietermaritzburg.

It is worth noting that Tatjana Smith has four Olympic medals to her name: gold and silver from Tokyo 2020, as well as gold and silver from Paris 2024. Should she win a medal in Los Angeles, the 29-year-old swimmer will become the first athlete in South African history, across all sports, to reach the Olympic podium five times.

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