Interest in next week’s South African Short Course Championships has grown significantly after the news that four-time Olympic medallist Tatjana Smith (Née Schoenmaker) will return to competition at the event at the GC Jolliffe swimming pool in Pietermaritzburg from Thursday, 24 September to Sunday, 27 September 2026.
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.
“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.”
Swimming South Africa Head of High Performance Dean Price
Price expressed his excitement at the prospect of having Smith back in the fold: “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,” said Price.
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Also thrilled to have the 29-year-old star back in action is fellow swimmer Duné Coetzee, who was part of Team SA in Tokyo when Smith won her first Olympic medals.
Coetzee said: “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.”
Coetzee is also 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. Short course events are contested in a 25m rather than a 50m pool.
“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,” said Coetzee.
“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.”
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Coetzee is down to compete in eight individual freestyle and butterfly events, and other top names set to compete include Hannah Pearse and Georgia Nel.
Original Copy: Swimming South Africa, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: Four-time Olympic medallist Tatjana Smith returns to competition for the first time since her gold and silver medal-winning performances at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, entered in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke and several relays at the South African Short Course Championships at the GC Jolliffe swimming pool in Pietermaritzburg from 24 to 27 September 2026. Photo: World Aquatics
Photo 2 Caption: Smith’s comeback lifts interest in the national short course meet, with Swimming SA expecting her to strengthen the relay teams. Photo: World Aquatics
Photo 3 Caption: Tokyo 2020 Olympian Duné Coetzee races in her new home pool after moving to train at Seals Swimming Club Photo: SA Sports Images
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