What’s in a name? This is the question posed by the recently married Tatjana Smith as she made waves by winning the 50m breaststroke at the national championships in Gqeberha on Monday.
The Olympic 200m breaststroke champion, who formerly used the surname Schoenmaker, beat African record-holder Lara van Niekerk as she clocked a career-best time of 30.09.
The 50m breaststroke may not be a recognised event at the Olympic Games but Tatjana’s performance certainly sets the tone for what is to come.
Her record-beating time is something she reflected on fondly as she also spoke about her new surname and the identity she wishes to carve for herself.
“I just don’t want to focus too much on it [my performance] and have big expectations, but yeah, it’s exciting to finally come closer to that 30 [second limit]. I hope one day to drop under that 30,” she said according to Times Live.
“I changed my surname because I didn’t want my identity to lie in swimming and I think people only know me as Tatjana Schoenmaker. I really felt like that’s not only who I am.
“That’s just a surname and I’ve grown into a different person. I’m not the person I was in 2021 and I just want to embrace it.”
The 200m breaststroke race takes place on Wednesday, while the 100m is scheduled for Friday, with the championships serving as trials for the Olympics in Paris later this year.
Pictured above: Tatjana Smith.
Image source: @trendsmzansi
