South African swimmer Tatjana Smith delivered a stunning performance to win the gold medal in the women’s 100m Olympic breaststroke at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday. Smith’s late surge in the final meters secured her victory in a thrilling race.
Smith, who previously won the 200m breaststroke gold in Tokyo, clocked a time of 1:05.28 to outpace her competitors. China’s Tang Qianting took the silver, while Ireland’s Mona McSharry claimed the bronze.
The 27-year-old Johannesburg native had settled for silver in the 100m event in Tokyo but showed remarkable determination and strength to outkick Tang and touch the wall first this time around. Tang, a 20-year-old world champion from Doha, had entered the competition as a favorite after setting the fourth fastest time ever, 1:04.39, at the Chinese national championships in April.
McSharry’s bronze medal was a historic achievement for Ireland, marking their first medal at the Paris Games and the first in swimming since Michelle Smith’s victories in Atlanta in 1996.
The race was a disappointment for American swimmer Lilly King, the 27-year-old from Indiana. King, the gold medalist in Rio 2016 and bronze medalist in Tokyo, finished in fourth place. King holds the current world record of 1:04.13, set at the 2017 world championships, and had been aiming to reclaim her title in Paris.
Smith’s victory adds to South Africa’s growing list of accomplishments at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and her performance in the pool has inspired a new generation of swimmers in her home country.
