2024 Swammy Awards: Celebrating the Apex of African Female Aquatic Talent

Explore all of our 2024 Swammy Awards here.

Securing this accolade for the sixth time and likely last, unless a resurgence occurs, is South Africa’s Tatjana Smith. The 27-year-old swimmer, who garnered the award from 2018-2021 and once again last year under her original name of Tatjana Schoenmaker, was the unmistakable frontrunner as she assembled one of the finest individual schedules and not only brought home the sole swimming medals for her country but her gold and silver medals accounted for one-third of her nation’s total medal haul.

As an Olympic and World Champion in the 200 breaststroke, expectations were high for her, and Smith rose to the occasion. Following an impressive showing at the South African Qualifying event, where Smith dominated the breaststroke competitions, achieving 1:05.48 in the 100 and 2:19.01 in the 200—both times superior to her results in Fukuoka, where she clinched silver in the 100 (1:05.84) and gold in the 200 (2:20.80).

As she headed into Paris, Smith was not only defending her Olympic title but was also prominently featured in advertising promotions. In anticipation of the Games, the official Paris2024 Instagram account (now no longer active) showcased clips of her victory (and her following reaction) alongside snippets of the tie for gold in the men’s high jump between Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Essa, the clip showing Misugu Okamoto’s fellow competitors lifting her onto their shoulders after she fell during the skateboarding park finals and Derek Redmond’s father rushing onto the field to assist him after he tore his hamstring at the Barcelona Olympics.

Accompanied by Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” the Instagram reel, which regrettably has vanished into the void of a deleted profile, inspired the opening paragraph of the Olympics Day 9 Finals Live Recap. Although that particular clip may not have reached a wide audience, Coca-Cola’s advertisement featuring Smith and her rivals Lilly King, Annie Lazor, and Kaylene Corbett certainly did.

Smith, seeded 5th in the 100 breast, the defending Olympic silver medalist, showcased her superiority as she dominated the preliminaries and semifinals, clocking equal times of 1:05.00. However, in an event characterized by unpredictability—there has not been a back-to-back winner for over 40 years at the Olympics and at World Championships since Lilly King triumphed in 2017 and 2019—Smith faced no easy path.

At the 50-meter mark, tied for 4th (30.62), Smith unleashed her speed in the latter half to surge ahead of Benedetta Pilato, Angharad Evans, Mona McSharry, and Tang Qianting, clinching victory and capturing the gold medal with a time of 1:05.28, closing a gap of .68 seconds between her and Tang to win by .26, once again demonstrating the heartfelt emotional response that endeared her to swimming enthusiasts globally.

A few days later, entering the 200 breaststroke as the defending Olympic Champion and third seed, Smith replicated her 100 performance by emerging as the fastest swimmer in the preliminaries, clocking 2:21.57, and improved in the semifinals with a 2:19.94, although she was eclipsed by American Kate Douglass, who secured the top seed with a time of 2:19.74. The two, the only competitors under 2:22 in the semifinals, engaged in a two-swimmer showdown in the final. Contrary to her 100 strategy, Smith took an early lead, but Douglass surpassed her by the 100 turn and maintained her advantage, winning in 2:19.24, with Smith taking silver at 2:19.60, slightly off her Olympic Record of 2:18.95 set in Tokyo.

While her Olympic Record remains intact for at least another four years, Smith’s legacy will endure far beyond that. After securing a gold and silver medal in Paris, Smith established herself as South Africa’s most decorated Olympian in history, matching fellow swimmer Chad le Clos’s medal tally, but with her two golds outweighing his one. Prior to being named her nation’s flag bearer during the closing ceremony, Smith announced her retirement.

Smith’s influence transcends her medal haul; she has led a resurgence in women’s swimming in South Africa, inspiring athletes like Aimee Canny, Erin Gallagher, and Rebecca Meder to carry on her legacy. While replacing four Olympic medals may prove challenging, South Africa retains breaststroke talent with Lara Van Niekerk and Kaylene Corbett, both equipped with ample international experience. Corbett, who participated in the 2020 celebrations, reached the final of the 200 breaststroke again in Paris, finishing 7th with a time of 2:24.46.

After her retirement, in a conversation with SwimSwam’s Coleman Hodges, Smith expressed, “I didn’t pursue swimming to gain fame…” adding, “I have been fortunate to have this platform, and I wonder how I can leverage this to effect change…”. So, although she may no longer compete, Smith will undoubtedly remain influential in the sport, and in the face of the obstacles confronting South African swimmers (and divers, water polo players), Smith truly “faced it all, and [she] stood tall, and did it [her] way.” (Apologies to Frank for adapting the lyrics to align with the necessary pronouns).

Honorable Mentions:

• Farida Osman, Egypt – Given the brevity of sprint events, every nuance must be executed flawlessly to achieve peak performance, and Farida Osman is among the finest. The Egyptian National, who competed collegiately at the University of California, exhibited incredible consistency, marking her 7th consecutive finals appearance in the 50 Fly at a Long Course World Championships, just one shy of the record established by Federica Pellegrini (8…

– 200 free). Osman, a three-time Olympian representing Egypt, reached the wall in 25.67 during the finals, securing the bronze medal. Although this was shy of her African record of 25.38 set in 2022, it marked Osman’s third podium finish, having previously earned bronze in this event in both 2017 and 2019.

• Rebecca Meder, South Africa – The South African women’s team made significant progress on their national record charts (and continental record) as they rewrote the records in two long course and five short course events in the last year. Aimee Canny and Erin Gallagher shattered the African record in the 200 free and 100 fly, respectively, at their Olympic Qualifying meet, and Gallagher narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2024 LC Worlds, finishing just .02 seconds off. However, for the second honorable mention, Rebecca Meder has the advantage. Meder concluded her year impressively, reaching the finals in four events at the Budapest Short Course Worlds, finishing 5th in the 200 breast and 6th in the 100 breast, 100 IM, and 200 IM. The times she recorded in the latter two events, 57.69 and 2:05.61, are both newly established National and Continental records. While Meder’s year ended spectacularly, her start was anything but ordinary. Limited to only a 50 back at the National Championships in April due to an emergency appendectomy three weeks earlier, she still managed to not only compete at the Olympics but also set a new national record in the 200 IM, finishing 11th in the semifinals in Paris, a significant leap from her 23rd place finish in Tokyo.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

• 2023 Swammy — Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa
• 2022 Swammy – Lara van Niekerk, South Africa
• 2021 Swammy – Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa
• 2020 Swammy – Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa
• 2019 Swammy — Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa
• 2018 Swammy — Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa
• 2017 Swammy — Farida Osman, Egypt
• 2016 Swammy — Farida Osman, Egypt
• 2015 Swammy — Farida Osman, Egypt
• 2014 Swammy — Karin Prinsloo, South Africa
• 2013 Swammy — Farida Osman, Egypt