Olympics Swimming

South African swimmer Tatjana Smith wins Olympic gold as she aims to 'glorify God's name'

By Kevin Mercer Jul 30, 2024
Gold medalist in the women's 100m breastroke, Tatjana Smith of South Africa, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Swimmer Tatjana Smith brought home the first gold medal for her native South Africa at the Paris Olympics on Monday, and it came in an event that’s not even considered her best.

The 27-year-old won the women’s 100-meter breaststroke final in style with a late surge to out-touch Tang Qianting of China by 0.26 seconds and Ireland’s Mona McSharry by 0.31. Smith now adds a gold to the silver she won in the same event at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

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“It took a village to get me where I am today,” Smith told Super Sport TV after her gold medal, still wearing the same cross earrings as she wore during the race. “I know they would have been proud even if I didn’t have a medal, but it was really for them. I swam for everyone that’s been there for me and that’s believed with me, and for our country as well.”

Smith now has three Olympic medals to her name, and two of them are golds. Her previous gold medal came in Tokyo in the 200m breaststroke, perhaps her better event, when she was known by her maiden name Schoenmaker. She set the world record (since broken) in that race and became the first female South African swimmer to win a gold medal in 25 years.

She knows she can still add another medal to her growing collection in the 200m in Paris; the final will be contested on Thursday. If she does, she will become South Africa’s most decorated female Olympian.

“The work’s not done,” she said as she finished her interview with Super Sport TV. “I still have the 200 meters.”

In the week leading up to the Paris Games, Smith did a preview interview with South African journalist Marc Strydom about her mindset heading into competition.

“It’s a daily thing that you have to tell yourself, that you’re not swimming for others’ expectations,” she said. “I think sometimes my own expectations are higher than those (of others). It’s really just coming back to it, and I think just really for me, just trusting in God and knowing that His plan will ultimately work out. I will keep on focusing on Him and His trust, and that I can just prepare as well as I can. … I’m going to let go and let God.”

Smith is open about her faith in God on social media, both on Instagram — where she has a group of highlights titled “His Glory” — and X. She writes “All Glory to God” in her Instagram bio and calls herself a “Child of God” on X. She also writes “Soli Deo Gloria” on X, which translates to “Glory to God alone” in Latin.

Last September, she captioned an Instagram post with a message proclaiming God’s faithfulness. She began by quoting the Bible verse Luke 1:45.

“God is faithful and that is why I can stand in confidence, with a big smile and a faithful heart that no matter what I face that He is there with me and we will make it through,” she wrote. “… Through for God is relying on Him through the challenges and stepping into the victory He has already won.”


On X, Smith also seeks to deliver positive messages of faith in God.

“Swimming has been an amazing platform I’ve been blessed with to Glorify God’s name and to try show/share His love and goodness to the world,” she wrote in a post from August 2022. She then continued the thread: “What I realised and know is that swimming is just the beginning. We can still glorify Him in all other places in life, in every season in life through the way we live our lives. We don’t need a platform we only need a relationship with Him.”

All eyes will be on Smith in the women’s 200m breaststroke, perhaps her best opportunity yet to bring glory to God’s name by doing what He has equipped her to do so well.

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