OPINION: With a more gritty approach, SA swimmers could have achieved more

Not that they didn’t do well at the Olympic Games, because they did, but I can’t shake the feeling that South African swimmers could have done even better.

Though she earned gold and silver this week, Tatjana Smith fell short of defending her 200m breaststroke title, while Kaylene Corbett and Pieter Coetze were well outside the medals in finals where they should have put up more of a fight.

And though it might seem unfair to criticise athletes who are reaching Olympic finals, with a more gritty attitude, I think Team SA could be higher than they are in the medals table.

Smith was the favourite for gold over 200m in her specialist stroke, but she was beaten in the semifinals and the final.

The entire week, however, we heard her saying that she didn’t care about medals and results. She was just there to enjoy her swimming and do her best.

Even after the final, when speaking about her “battle” against American gold medallist Kate Douglass, Smith was giggling.

These might be sporting ideals we teach to the youth, but they’re not really things you want to hear from someone who is competing on the biggest stage of international sport.

Similarly, after qualifying among the medal favourites for the 200m backstroke final, Coetze settled for seventh place. Yes, he broke the African record, but all signs pointed to a place on the podium.

‘No expectations’

However, both before and after his race, Coetze said he was just glad to be in the final and had ‘no expectations’ going into the medal contest.

To be clear, this doesn’t suggest they don’t work hard. They obviously do or they wouldn’t have achieved what they’ve achieved. But it’s bizarre to hear professional athletes speaking about medals as if they don’t mean much.

Imagine going into work every day and telling your employer you don’t really care about performances or results. How long would they keep you around?

There is obviously more to the Olympics than winning, but we need the nation’s top athletes to be in fighting mode when they line up for their events if they’re going to reach their full potential.

I really feel Smith could have walked away with two gold medals and Coetze had an opportunity to step on the podium, but without switching to battle mode, perhaps they didn’t approach their last races of the Games with the mental fortitude that’s required.

Smith has now retired, and she does so with an incredible record. I’m not trying to take anything away from what she’s done in the pool.

But if Coetze wants to achieve what he’s capable of, it’s important he has the mental attitude that’s needed to fight for it.

If he wants to beat the best in the world, he needs to go into big races with the mindset that he’s going to war. And he needs to believe he’s going to win.