Watch out, world ... Schoenmaker is coming for you at the Olympics
IN a recent interview with
Independent Media, Tatjana Schoenmaker understandably tried to downplay her chances of claiming a medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
In fact, the bubbly 23-year-old Tuks Sport athlete laughed out loud when she was asked what she would need to do to become an Olympic medallist …
“Well, obviously I just want to go! I can’t wait to go to (the) Olympics. If I can make a final, it would be amazing. I think all those things … are already such career highlights. I think there’s nothing more you can do,” she told me.
“I think just to keep your head in it, and not to create too much pressure on yourself by people’s expectations. Ja, I think I’m just there to do my best, give my best.
If I swim a PB (personal best) there, that’s amazing. I think not a lot of people or some people can say they actually went to the Olympics and swam their best times and stuff.”
Well, Schoenmaker made the world sit up and take notice with a number of superb performances at the South African National Aquatic Championships in Gqeberha over the last few days.
She set new national and African records in the 50m (30.42 seconds), 100m (1:05.74) and 200m (2:20.17) breaststroke races, and it is arguably the 200m time that would give her the most satisfaction.
That is her best event, and she mentioned over the last few days about how the 100m is more about increasing her speed for the 200m.
Mind you, the 1:05.74 is not a shabby time at all in world terms this year as it places her second behind American favourite Lilly King, who posted 1:05.32 last month.
But the 200m is where Schoenmaker truly believes she can be a contender in Tokyo. Her time of 2:20.17 places her in joint-18th position on the all-time list – and only six other swimmers have produced faster times.
But more pertinently, it is the quickest mark in the world since
July 26, 2019, when Russian Yulia
Efimova finished in exactly the same time of 2:20.17 to win gold at the Fina World Championships in South Korea – with Denmark’s Rikke Pedersen having set the world record of 2:19.11 in 2013.
Schoenmaker told me recently that it’s all about getting into the Olympic final, and that: “They say if you have a lane, you have a chance. I mean, Wayde van Niekerk came from lane eight!”
The most encouraging part of her performances in Gqeberha is that she posted those times without serious competition, and she had expressed the hope of participating in some international events before the Olympics.
Imagine how quickly she could go if she is pushed all the way – that medal is not as far away as Schoenmaker may have thought previously.
And with veteran Chad le Clos holding off a few young guns to clinch a trio of SA butterfly titles in Gqeberha as well, he proved that there is still some fight in him too.
Let’s hope that these performances bode well for Team SA in Tokyo …