Olympic Champion Tatjana Smith Switches Allegiance to the Netherlands
Two-time Olympic swimming champion Tatjana Smith has switched her sporting allegiance from South Africa to the Netherlands with immediate effect, nos.nl reported.
The 29-year-old athlete holds both South African and Dutch passports. She competed under her maiden name, Schoenmaker, during the first part of her career.
December Debut in Beijing
Smith will make her debut for the Netherlands at the short-course World Championships held in Beijing from Dec. 1 to Dec. 6, according to nos.nl. She stated that her father is Dutch and she grew up listening to Dutch-language music at home.
She announced her retirement from competitive swimming during the Paris Olympics shortly after winning gold in the 100-meter breaststroke, before taking silver in the 200-meter breaststroke. During those Games, she shared the 200-meter podium with Dutch swimmer Tes Schouten, who secured the bronze medal.
Three years prior at the Tokyo Games, Smith won gold in the 200 breaststroke and silver in the 100 breaststroke, making her South Africa’s most successful Olympian ever. She also captured the 200-meter breaststroke world title in 2023.
The Return to Competition
Smith announced her comeback in September after previously calling her career complete and finished. She spent two years living the life of an ordinary person, engaging in hiking, surfing, and traveling.
She experienced severe anxiety and burnout during her peak years due to the financial pressures of the South African sports system, where athletes must secure their own private sponsors rather than receive state backing. “Not winning meant that you had no income,” Smith told nos.nl.
Jacco Verhaeren, performance strategist for the Royal Dutch Swimming Federation (KNZB), noted that the transition was finalized in just over a week after Smith competed as a participant at the Dutch Qualifiers in Rotterdam. Smith will train under Australian coach Pete Bishop in Eindhoven ahead of major international tournaments while continuing to reside primarily in South Africa.
Verhaeren stated that the federation will focus on the 50-meter and 100-meter breaststroke events with an eye toward the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where the 50-meter sprint will feature on the Olympic program for the first time.
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