Tatjana Smith switches from South Africa to the Netherlands, Digi Mart USA News: Tatjana Smith, 29, has won two Olympic gold medals for South Africa and will compete for a different country going forward.
Smith was born in Johannesburg and has been one of South Africa’s leading Olympians. She has two Olympic silver medals and two Olympic gold medals.
At the Paris 2024 Games, she won the final of the 100-meter breaststroke.
No more medals for her home country are expected, however. The swimming star will now compete for the Netherlands.
She is returning to her career after having retired following the Paris Games.
“Representing South Africa was a childhood dream come true, and it is a chapter I will always look back on with enormous pride and gratitude. The people, the memories and everything we achieved together will always be a part of me,” she said in a social media post.
Smith is shown in tears in the clip as she shares the news.
“Dreams can change as we grow as people. This next chapter is about embracing another part of who I am, falling in love with the journey and discovering how much more I am capable of,” she said.
Smith holds both South African and Dutch citizenship. She was previously known as Schoenmaker.
