Tatjana Schoenmaker ended an almost 20-year drought for SA's women swimmers as she claimed the 200m breaststroke silver at the world championships in Gwangju on Friday night.
The Tuks financial sciences student beat Canadian Sydney Pickrem and China’s Shiwen Ye in the scramble for second spot behind Russian veteran Yuliya Efimova‚ who won in 2min 20.17sec.
Schoenmaker‚ 22‚ touched in 2:22.52‚ nearly a second slower than her 2:21.79 African record in the semifinals the previous night.
“I could feel I was much more tired than yesterday‚” said an elated Schoenmaker. “I didn’t do my best time now. Luckily I still got the silver.”
Superstar Penny Heyns was the last SA female to reach the podium of a major gala in an Olympic-sized pool‚ taking the 100m breaststroke bronze at the Sydney 2000 Games.
In the four Olympics since then‚ SA women failed to qualify for two of them‚ including a younger Schoenmaker in 2016.
But since then she’s cleaned up at the Commonwealth Games and World Student Games‚ and now she is the first woman to have won a world long-course championship medal.
Heyns‚ Sarah Poewe and Suzaan van Biljon all missed out.
Schoenmaker had missed out in the 100m breaststroke a few nights earlier‚ finishing sixth.
Then she was nervous on the starting blocks‚ but in her favourite 200m event she had her nerves under control.
“I think so‚” she replied when asked if she was less nervous. “The 200 has more time to control the race. I definitely want to get my 100 up.”
Her Tuks teammate‚ Kaylene Corbett‚ was eighth in 2:26.62‚ more than two seconds slower than the semifinal.
But she was chuffed to have played her role in Schoenmaker’s historic victory. “To be there with Tatjana getting a silver medal. What the hell! That’s crazy. I’m so excited for her‚” said the first-year education student.
Schoenmaker’s win gave SA its second medal of the championships after Chad Le Clos’s 200m butterfly bronze.
Le Clos will bid to win the nation’s third medal in the 100m butterfly final on Saturday night.
He clocked 51.40sec to be seeded fourth behind defending champion Caeleb Dressel of the US‚ who clocked a 49.50 world record‚ Russian Andrei Minakov (50.94) and Hungary’s new 200m ’fly world champion Kristof Milak (50.95).
“I’m excited for tomorrow night‚” said Le Clos‚ who set his 50.56 SA record winning the world title in 2015.
Le Clos also won this title in 2013‚ but missed in 2017 when he failed to make the final.
Tatjana ends 20-year drought for SA women
Image: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images
Tatjana Schoenmaker ended an almost 20-year drought for SA's women swimmers as she claimed the 200m breaststroke silver at the world championships in Gwangju on Friday night.
The Tuks financial sciences student beat Canadian Sydney Pickrem and China’s Shiwen Ye in the scramble for second spot behind Russian veteran Yuliya Efimova‚ who won in 2min 20.17sec.
Schoenmaker‚ 22‚ touched in 2:22.52‚ nearly a second slower than her 2:21.79 African record in the semifinals the previous night.
“I could feel I was much more tired than yesterday‚” said an elated Schoenmaker. “I didn’t do my best time now. Luckily I still got the silver.”
Superstar Penny Heyns was the last SA female to reach the podium of a major gala in an Olympic-sized pool‚ taking the 100m breaststroke bronze at the Sydney 2000 Games.
In the four Olympics since then‚ SA women failed to qualify for two of them‚ including a younger Schoenmaker in 2016.
But since then she’s cleaned up at the Commonwealth Games and World Student Games‚ and now she is the first woman to have won a world long-course championship medal.
Heyns‚ Sarah Poewe and Suzaan van Biljon all missed out.
Schoenmaker had missed out in the 100m breaststroke a few nights earlier‚ finishing sixth.
Then she was nervous on the starting blocks‚ but in her favourite 200m event she had her nerves under control.
“I think so‚” she replied when asked if she was less nervous. “The 200 has more time to control the race. I definitely want to get my 100 up.”
Her Tuks teammate‚ Kaylene Corbett‚ was eighth in 2:26.62‚ more than two seconds slower than the semifinal.
But she was chuffed to have played her role in Schoenmaker’s historic victory. “To be there with Tatjana getting a silver medal. What the hell! That’s crazy. I’m so excited for her‚” said the first-year education student.
Schoenmaker’s win gave SA its second medal of the championships after Chad Le Clos’s 200m butterfly bronze.
Le Clos will bid to win the nation’s third medal in the 100m butterfly final on Saturday night.
He clocked 51.40sec to be seeded fourth behind defending champion Caeleb Dressel of the US‚ who clocked a 49.50 world record‚ Russian Andrei Minakov (50.94) and Hungary’s new 200m ’fly world champion Kristof Milak (50.95).
“I’m excited for tomorrow night‚” said Le Clos‚ who set his 50.56 SA record winning the world title in 2015.
Le Clos also won this title in 2013‚ but missed in 2017 when he failed to make the final.
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