SA’s golden girl deserves her rest

It’s not often a sports star gets the chance to finish on their terms at the top of their discipline. Injuries, lack of form, age catching up or just not having the script play out like they wanted it to, often gets in the way of a sensational sign-off.

Step up Tatjana Smith, our Olympic golden girl.

Moments after swimming to a silver medal in the women’s 200m breaststroke at the Paris Olympics – her fourth career Olympic medal (two golds and two silvers) and the country’s fourth at this year’s Games – she announced she was retiring.

ALSO READ: Swimming star Tatjana Smith retires after claiming historic Olympic medal

Yes, she failed to defend the title she won in Tokyo three years ago, but she retires at the top of the game as the country’s most decorated Olympian of all time, having earlier won the 100m breaststroke in Paris.

Former swimming legend Penny Heyns rightfully heaped praise on Smith. She said: “I think Tatjana’s talent is exceptional.

I remember seeing her around 2013, when she was much younger at the Africa Junior Champs. I saw this young girl swimming so fast.

Mentally she is also very focused. I think her faith has a large part to do with that and she’s able to kind of see swimming as something she does, not something that defines her.”

She not only finishes with four Olympic medals, but also four Commonwealth Games medals (three gold, one silver) and three World Championships medals (one gold, two silver).

ALSO READ: Tatjana Smith earns historic silver medal at Paris Olympics

In Tokyo she set the world record in the 200m breaststroke and while that record has since been broken, it remains the Olympic record.

Her achievements aside, Smith is just humble and an amazing ambassador for South Africa and swimming.

No-one will ever forget her feats in the pool, and she’ll always be remembered for that wonderful smile, win or lose. Tatjana, enjoy the rest. You certainly deserve it.