2024 SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (OLYMPIC TRIALS)
- Monday, April 8th – Saturday, April 13th
- Newton Park Swimming Pool, Gqeberha, South Africa
- LCM (50m)
- SwimSwam Preview
- Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Prelims Recap
- Results
26-year-old Tatjana Smith (nee Schoenmaker) already fired off a swift outing of 2:19.92 this morning to lead the heats of the women’s 200m breaststroke. That checked in as the 4th-best time of the Olympic champion’s career.
Flash forward to tonight, however, and Smith dropped nearly an entire second, ultimately getting to the wall in a result of 2:19.01 to put the world on notice ahead of the Paris Games.
Smith split 32.62/34.71/35.80/35.88 to produce the sole time of the field under the 2:23 threshold. The next-closest was Kaylene Corbett who touched in 2:23.71 for silver.
In doing so, she established the 2nd-fastest time of her career and touched only .06 outside of the then-world record-setting performance which garnered her gold in Tokyo.
Russian Evgenia Chikunova since crushed a mark of 2:17.55 to drop the WR down to other-worldly territory. Below is a comparison of splits between the former WR, current WR and Smith’s time tonight.
| Current WR – Evgenia Chikunova (RUS), 2:17.55, 2023 | Former WR – Tatjana Smith (RSA), 2:18.95, 2021 | Smith’s Time Tonight – 2:19.01 |
| 32.13 | 31.64 | 32.62 |
| 35.15 | 35.42 | 34.71 |
| 35.19 | 35.42 | 35.80 |
| 35.08 | 36.47 | 35.88 |
Entering these championships, Smith’s season-best rested at the 2:20.30 she logged at December’s South African World Championship Trials, although she wound up not competing in Doha.
Tatjana Smith‘s Top 5 LCM 200 Breaststroke Performances All-Time
- 2:18.95 – 2021 Olympic Games
- 2:19.01 – 2024 South African Olympic Trials
- 2:19.16 – 2021 Olympic Games (heats)
- 2:19.33 – 2021 Olympic Games (semi-final)
- 2:19.92 – 2024 South African Olympic Trials (heats)
Smith also now owns 4 of the top 10 200m breaststroke performances ever. She ranks #1 in the world on the season, overtaking the crown from American Kate Douglass from her semi-final time in Doha.
Top 10 Women’s LCM 200 Breast Performances in History
- 2:17.55 – Evgenia Chikunova (RUS), 2023
- 2:18.95 – Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA), 2021
- 2:19.01 – Tatjana Smith (RSA), 2024
- 2:19.11 – Rikke Moller-Pedersen (DEN), 2013
- 2:19.16 – Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA), 2021
- 2:19.30 – Kate Douglass (USA), 2024
- 2:19.33 – Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA), 2021
- 2:19.41 – Yuliya Efimova (RUS), 2013
- 2:19.59 – Rebecca Soni (USA), 2012
- 2:19.61 – Rikke Moller-Pedersen (DEN), 2014
2023-2024 LCM Women 200 Breast
CHIKUNOVA
2:18.98
| 2 | Tatjana SMITH | RSA | 2:19.01 | 04/10 |
| 3 | Kate DOUGLASS | USA | 2:19.24 | 08/01 |
| 4 | Tes SCHOUTEN | NED | 2:19.81 | 02/16 |
| 5 | Lilly KING | USA | 2:21.93 | 06/20 |
1:05.41 in the heats. #2 time this year behind Tang Qianting
I told you Queen Tatjana’s gonna retain her title 😍 Can’t wait to see her 100.
I hope so!
Her brightest smile (even when she lost in 100) lightened up the dour atmosphere of Tokyo Olympics swimming venue.
Might be a different story if Evgenia chikunova changes her mind.
That 2:17.55 is insane
“Otherworldly”, as they say
I can see those first 3 listed for this year as our podium order in Paris.
🖊️🖊️
These three are far ahead of everyone else. If Douglas wants to win instead of getting a bronze she will have to get out much faster
In that order too!!!!
Would Smith & Corbett be the only qualifiers so far ?
All of the big guns are coming up bigtime in the lead up to Paris
Kate Douglass fans in shambles 😭
why? she swam her PB at a pro swim series.
Kate Douglas swam faster in all her individual events in the lead up to Fukuoka than in Fukuoka.
The same in Tokyo and Budapest.
Kate Douglass is no longer jumping for joy after the Chikunova article
This is gonna be a great race! Tatjana, KD, Schouten, and whoever else wants to join the sub-2:20 party!
Considering she did not win at Doha, I doubt she ever felt she was a sure thing for gold.
She probably didn’t. Lots of people on here did though