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SportsQuiet 43h · day 8

Tatjana Smith ends retirement, targets 50m breaststroke and LA 2028

South Africa's Olympic champion returns to competitive swimming two years after retiring, shifting focus to a new event.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 1d ago13 pieces Newswires

What to know

  • Smith, a four-time Olympic medallist from Tokyo and Paris, is ending her two-year retirement to compete in the 2026 short course championships and target the 2028 LA Olympics.
  • Her return marks a strategic shift: she is focusing on the 50m breaststroke, a new Olympic distance debuting in 2028, rather than defending her 100m/200m titles.
  • Smith credits her comeback to rediscovering her love for swimming away from external pressures and burnout, describing her decision as now being entirely her own choice.

“When I announced my retirement from swimming, I genuinely believed that chapter of my life was over. With some distance, I realized that stepping away had been the right decision for me at that time.”

Tatjana Smith · Yahoo Sports ↗

Tatjana Smith Olympic swimmer, South AfricaDean Price Head of high performance, Swimming South AfricaMichael Houlie Fellow South African swimmerDuné Coetzee Fellow South African swimmer

Tatjana Smith ends retirement, targets 50m breaststroke and LA 2028
BBC Sport

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articles

Peak 9 pieces in two hours at Sep 22, 4 AM; 13 pieces over 8 days (13 articles) Sep 16, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 16, 12 PM — quietSep 16, 2 PM — quietSep 16, 4 PM — quietSep 16, 6 PM — quietSep 16, 8 PM — quietSep 16, 10 PM — quietSep 17, 12 AM — quietSep 17, 2 AM — quietSep 17, 4 AM — quietSep 17, 6 AM — quietSep 17, 8 AM — quietSep 17, 10 AM — quietSep 17, 12 PM — quietSep 17, 2 PM — quietSep 17, 4 PM — quietSep 17, 6 PM — quietSep 17, 8 PM — quietSep 17, 10 PM — quietSep 18, 12 AM — quietSep 18, 2 AM — quietSep 18, 4 AM — quietSep 18, 6 AM — quietSep 18, 8 AM — quietSep 18, 10 AM — quietSep 18, 12 PM — quietSep 18, 2 PM — quietSep 18, 4 PM — quietSep 18, 6 PM — quietSep 18, 8 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — quietSep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — 9 pieces · 9 articles — Newswires 9Sep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quiet ◂ 1 earlier2
Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 5:46 AM ET
  1. 2

    Smith reveals focus shift to 50m breaststroke and LA 2028 target

    In extended interviews, Smith explains her comeback is driven by rediscovering her love for swimming, clarifies she is shifting her primary focus to the 50m breaststroke—a new Olympic event—and states her goal is competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

    “For the first time, I am choosing swimming and I am choosing the event and I am choosing a new event, that has no history but to try and write some new history.”
    — Tatjana Smith
  2. 5 days quiet
  3. 1

    Smith announces return to competitive swimming

    Smith confirms she will compete at the South African Short Course Championships (24-27 September) in Pietermaritzburg, competing in 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke events and relays.

    “The world better watch out…”
    — Michael Houlie, Fellow South African swimmer · source

    1. 1 outlet first by Daily Maverick, 1d ago · read ↗

    2. 1 outlet first by News24, 7d ago · read ↗

  4. background

    Smith re-enters anti-doping testing pool — Smith sends email to re-enter the testing system, making herself eligible to compete after the required six-month window.

  5. background

    Smith competes in triathlon, explores pool training — Smith finishes third in a local Olympic-distance triathlon and begins returning to the pool for training sessions, discovering she misses swimming.

  6. background

    Smith contacts drug-testing authorities about potential return — Smith emails anti-doping authorities inquiring about the possibility of re-entering the testing system if she wished to return to competition.

  7. background

    Smith retires from swimming at Paris Olympics — After winning gold in the 100m breaststroke and silver in the 200m breaststroke at Paris 2024, Smith announces her retirement from competitive swimming.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 3 outlets Olympic champion Smith to come out of retirement

    first by Yahoo Sports, 2d ago · also BBC Africa, BBC Sport

    1 more headline

and 2 smaller pieces