Pretoria’s Olympic champion swaps swimming pool for road race
She may have retired as South Africa's most successful swimmer ever, but Tatjana Smith wants to show that she is still committed to an active and healthy lifestyle by participating in one of Pretoria's most famous road races.
The Olympic champion, Tatjana Smith, and heroic moments in international swimming have become synonymous, but now she plans to take on a new challenge as a jogger.
This coming weekend, she will participate in the 10km race at the Sappi TuksRace.
It is a first for her. She has never run 10km. Her first and only race has been a 5km park run. Her running heroics did not go unnoticed. Steven Ball, CEO of TuksSport, picked up on it. So, she got an invite to come run the Sappi TuksRace.
Last year, after winning the 100m breaststroke at the Paris Olympic Games and a silver in the 200m breaststroke, Smith announced her retirement from competitive swimming.
“Being the master of my time is nice. I now have an opportunity to try out different new stuff. As a competitive swimmer, training for up to six hours daily, I missed many firsts,” Smith said when it became known that she is going to enter the race.
According to Smith, her journey as a runner only started.
“True to my nature, my competitive edge immediately kicked in. In my first week, I went to run four or five times. It was a big mistake. I could feel the onset of shin splint injury. It stands to reason. Having swum for over 20 years means my body is not used to impact sports. My body needs time to adjust. If I am lucky, I now only run twice to three times a week for about 30 minutes. After the park run, I also needed to give my body time to recover,” she explained.
Smith said what she like about running is that an athlete can open the front door and start running. It is a different challenge.
The question on everyone’s lips is whether she still swims.
“If you had asked me in 2022 or even the start of 2023 whether I would continue to swim after I retired, I might have said I am not sure. But on my retirement, I regained my love for swimming. It is nice to return to the Tuks swimming pool, the place I called home for such a long time, see my coach, Rocco Meiring, and be with the squad. It brings me comfort. Swimming has taught me so much about myself. I have taken some of the lessons I have learned in becoming a competitive swimmer to the next chapter of my life,” she remarked.
As to her plans for the future, Smith said she is taking one day at a time for now.
“I am still getting used to being retired as a professional swimmer and the concept of not doing the same thing all the time. It is a process in the making to see what my passion will be outside of the swimming pool. I still must deal with a lot of emotions at times,” she concluded.
The Sappi TuksRace on 15 February includes the 21.1km and 10km official races and 5km and 1km fun family events.
It will take place at the UP Hillcrest sporting complex and on the streets of Pretoria. Athletes who decide to run the Sappi TuksRace 21km will pass the Sappi Tech Centre at the 18 km-marker watering point.
Keep an eye on social media for more information about the Sappi TuksRace.
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