Team South Africa finished the day with brilliant results on Thursday, including Tatjana Smith securing herself a silver medal!
Swimming:
Women’s 200m Breaststroke – Final
Tatjana Smith made Olympic history by winning a silver medal in the 200m breaststroke at the Paris La Defense Arena. The South African superstar finished just 0.36 seconds behind American Kate Douglass. This was Smith’s second medal of the 2024 Paris Games, having already won gold in the 100m breaststroke.
Smith now ties with Chad le Clos as the greatest South African Olympian, each with four medals, but she surpasses him with her two golds and two silvers. She also joins Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima as one of the only four-time breaststroke medallists in Olympic history.
Despite leading at the 50m mark, Smith was overtaken by Douglass, who secured the gold with strong turns. Smith’s impressive performance earned her a well-deserved silver.
Kaylene Corbett, finished seventh and has been instrumental in Smith’s success.
Tatjana Smith has announced her retirement after becoming South Africa’s most successful Olympian at the 2024 Paris Games. The 27-year-old, who always emphasized that swimming doesn’t define her, is looking forward to life outside the pool.
Married late last year and approaching her thirties, Smith said, “I’m looking forward to my life outside of swimming.” Smith wants to be remembered for bringing people joy, not just her achievements.
Men’s 200m Individual Medley – Heats
Matthew Sates finished 6th in his heat, and 21st overall. His position was unfortunately not enough to qualify for the next round.
Men’s 200m Backstroke – Final
Pieter Coetze finished 7th in the final on the evening. His effort was not enough for a medal, but he did set a New African Record, with a time of 1:55.60
Golf: Men
Scores after Round1: Erik van Rooyen Tied 6th (-4), Christiaan Bezuidenhout Tied 29th (-1).
Erik van Rooyen had a strong first round at the 2024 Paris Olympics, shooting six birdies and an eagle. He was poised to finish with a 65, just two shots behind leader Hideki Matsuyama, but a double bogey on the 18th hole dropped him to four-under 67.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, in his second Olympics, finished with a 71, recording three birdies and two bogeys. Both golfers noted that the course favored making birdies with accurate drives and aggressive approaches.
Van Rooyen’s round included a notable eagle on the 9th hole and a stretch of four birdies in six holes from the 12th to the 17th. Despite the tough finish, he was pleased with his performance and optimistic about the upcoming rounds.
Hockey: Women – Pool B
Team South Africa’s women had a close loss against Spain, going down 1 – 0 in the team’s penultimate match.
Team South Africa next faces the United States of America on Saturday, 3 August.
Cycling BMX Racing: Women’s Quarter Finals
Miyanda Maseti finished 8th in her Quarter final run. The position does not allow her to progress to the next round.
Archery: Men’s Individual 1/32 Elimination Round
Wian lost to Kim Je Deok, the double gold medallist from Tokyo, with scores of: 25 – 29 | 25 – 29 | 29 -30. Wian finished 33rd overall
Surfing: Women’s Third Round, Heats
Team South Africa’s Sarah Baum was eliminated in the heat in round 3 of the competition by USA’s Carissa Moore.
