Tatjana Schoenmaker

She competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, winning gold medals in women's 100 metre breaststroke and the women's 200 metre breaststroke.[4][5][6]

In June 2021, Schoenmaker qualified to represent South Africa at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[7]

Schoenmaker entered the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan as the number one seed and predicted winner of the 200-metre breaststroke.[8][9] She also entered the 100-metre breaststroke as the number four seed.[9]

In the prelims of the 100-metre breaststroke, Schoenmaker ranked first out of all heats, advanced to the semifinals, and set a new Olympic record and a new African record in the event with her time of 1:04.82.[9][10][11][12][13] The Olympic record she broke was a time of 1:04.93 set at the 2016 Summer Olympics by American Lilly King.[10][12][13] In the semifinals, Schoenmaker swam the fastest time of 1:05.07 and ranked first heading into the final.[14] In the final, Schoenmaker won the silver medal, which was the first medal for a South African woman in swimming at an Olympic Games since 2000.[15][16]

In the prelims heats of the 200-metre breaststroke on day five of competition, Schoenmaker swam a 2:19.16, setting a new Olympic record, advancing to the semifinals ranked first overall, and swimming less than a tenth of a second slower than the world record of 2:19.11 set by Rikke Pedersen.[17][18] In the semifinals of the event, Schoenmaker swam a 2:19.33 and ranked first heading into the final.[19] In the final, Schoenmaker set a new world record in the 200-metre breaststroke with her time of 2:18.95 and won the gold medal.[20][21][22] Her world record was the first individual world record set in the sport of swimming at the 2020 Olympic Games.[20] Her gold medal was the first gold medal won by an athlete from South Africa at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[22][23] Her teammate, Kaylene Corbett, also reached the finals, making it the first time since Sydney 2000 that two South African women reached the finals of the same event.[24]