PIETERMARITZBURG - South Africa’s two-time Olympic champion Tatjana Smith has made a stunning return to competitive swimming, marking her comeback with gold in her new specialist event, the 50m breaststroke.
Smith wasted no time making her presence felt. Smith participated in the South African Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg.
In the morning heats, she stopped the clock at 29.90 seconds to win her race. But she was even faster when it mattered most.
In the evening final, Smith powered to victory in 29.50 seconds, improving her time by four-tenths of a second and completing a memorable first day back in the pool.
Both swims were comfortably inside the qualifying standard for the World Short Course Championships, which will take place in Beijing, China, from 1–6 December.
The championships will mark Smith’s return to international competition, and her opening performance has already provided an exciting glimpse of what could lie ahead.
Clearly delighted with her comeback, Smith described her first day back as a thrilling one, setting the tone for what promises to be an eagerly anticipated return to the international stage.