Interest in next week’s South African Short Course Championships has grown significantly after the news that four-time Olympic medallist Tatjana Smith (formerly Schoenmaker) will return to competition at the event in Pietermaritzburg from 24-27 September.
Smith retired from all competition after winning gold and silver at the Paris Olympics in 2024, but is down to compete in the 50, 100 and 200m breaststroke as well as several relays with her new Stellenbosch-based team, Lane Leader.
Head of High Performance at Swimming South Africa Dean Price expressed his excitement at the prospect of having Smith back in the fold.
“We’re very excited that Tatjana is coming back to swimming. We know Tatjana is an excellent racer, so you can really count on her in a big event. I think she'll be a huge addition to our team, and I think not only in the individual, but I think she can be of great value in the relays as well… We look forward to her competing in her first event, and we feel very confident that she's going to do very well.”
Also thrilled to have the 29-year-old star back in action are her fellow swimmers, Commonwealth Games silver medallist Michael Houlie and Duné Coetzee, who were both part of Team SA in Tokyo when she won her first Olympic medals.
“There's a lot that I can say about Tatjana that we already know. She's a phenomenal swimmer, but more importantly, she looks like a happy swimmer right now. And that could be dangerous for everyone else, so the world better watch out,” said Houlie.
“She has absolutely nothing left to prove, which means she has the opportunity to race completely free and just enjoy swimming again. We were national teammates for so many years, so on a personal level, it's just really great to have her back."
Coetzee added: “I think it is amazing that she is coming back. She is the best there is and such a huge inspiration to me. I’m really excited to see her race again and to learn from her.”
SHORT COURSE METRES
After his successful run at the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships, where he also claimed silver, Houlie will be competing at the SA Short Course Championships for the first time since 2018. He is down to compete in the 50 and 100m breaststroke and the 50m freestyle, with the aim of qualifying for the World Short Course Championships in Beijing this December.
“Short course metres is a different type of racing, and we're still in the early stages of preparing for Worlds in December. So with the increased frequency of walls, pullouts, transitions, there's a different rhythm to it… and sometimes it takes a little time for everything to click,” he explained of the event, which is contested in a 25m rather than 50m pool.
“I also really enjoy racing while under training load because it gives honest feedback about where I'm at. So, for Pietermaritzburg, I'm looking for great feedback, information that I can take from the racing and use it to sharpen and refine my process heading toward the World Championships in December."
Houlie has fond memories of competing at the GC Jolliffe swimming pool.
“I remember coming to Pietermaritzburg in 2016 and swimming against [World Championship bronze medallist Giulio] Zorzi for the first time. He inspired me to keep on and he was also very generous with his time and his attention. He then went on to make the final at Worlds later that year. So it made a massive impression on me as a youngster, and I will never forget his input into my swimming career."
COETZEE UP TO THE CHALLENGE
Coetzee, meanwhile, is looking forward to competing in her home pool after moving to Pietermaritzburg a month ago to train at Seals Swimming Club under coach Wayne Riddin.
“It kind of brings a different energy to the meet. It is also nice to know that I’ll be comfortable racing in the pool since I train there every day. I’m also excited to see how I can perform in short course metres now that I’ve been training it every day,” she said.
“Training has been going exceptionally well. I have been here for about four weeks now, and I have already seen a lot of progress. I feel like I am giving my body the type of training it needs in order to get faster. I’ve been doing some of the hardest sets I have ever done, which has been really motivating and has also given me a lot of confidence in my swimming.”
Coetzee is down to compete in eight individual freestyle and butterfly events.
Other top names who are set to compete are Commonwealth Games relay medallists Hannah Pearse, Georgia Nel, Guy Brooks and Chris Smith, as well as Para swimmer Christian Sadie – fresh off his gold medal-winning performance in the S7 50m freestyle in Glasgow.