South African swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker claimed gold in
the 200m breaststroke at the SA Aquatics Championships in Gqeberha on Friday
evening.
Schoenmaker couldn’t hold back the tears as she exited the
pool having swum the 200m breaststroke in the fastest time of her life.
Competing on the third day of the SA Swimming Championships,
the 23-year-old powered to victory in a new SA and African record of 2:20.17,
taking a massive chunk off her previous mark of 2:21.79.
That record was set in the semi-finals on her way to winning
the silver medal at the World Championships in 2019.
Schoenmaker showed the kind of speed she’s added to her
armoury when she claimed the 50m breaststroke title in record time on
Wednesday, and that has made all the difference in the longer race where she
now holds the fastest time in the world this year.
“This morning I went out quite fast, but I couldn’t hold it.
I tried to control this race as much as I could and focus on my stroke count,” Schoenmaker
said.
“When I touched the board, I was like – maybe I hit a 2:21
but to hit a 2:20-low, that’s crazy.
“It’s exactly what I wanted [ahead of the Tokyo Olympics]
just to build some confidence going in and to know where you are so I think
we’re on the right track.”
