Tatjana Smith, Mpumelelo Mhlongo awarded SA's highest sporting honour

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's most decorated Olympic athlete, Tatjana Smith, and Paralympic track and field athlete, Mpumelelo Mhlongo, were on Friday awarded the Shield of Jove, the country's highest sporting honour.

Smith and Mhlongo received their shields from President Cyril Ramaphosa at an event at the Union Buildings honouring the athletes that competed at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games in Paris earlier this year.

After winning an Olympic gold medal in the 100m breaststroke and a silver in the 200m breaststroke, Smith announced her retirement from international swimming. Her medal haul in Paris took her Olympic tally to four - she won the gold medal in the 200m breaststroke and the silver medal in the 100m breaststroke at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

For Mhlongo, the Shield of Jove is recognition for a glittering career as a Paralympic sprinter and long jumper. Mhlongo won Team South Africa's first gold medal at the Paris Paralympics when he crossed the line first in the men's 100m T44 category. He also claimed the bronze medal in the men’s 200m T64 category and set world records in the men's long jump T44 and men’s 200m T44 categories.

At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games, Mhlongo broke the T44 200m world record and set the T44 200m, 100m, and long jump Paralympic Games records. He made his first Paralympic appearance at the 2016 Paralympics Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Other athletes honoured by the president included Olympic sprinter Akane Simbine, Blitzbok star Selwyn Davids and gymnast Caitlin Rooskrantz and Paralympians Pieter du Preez, Simone Kruger, Donald Ramphadi and Kat Swanepoel.

President Ramaphosa said that the event was not just a celebration of the athletes' achievements but also a celebration of the spirit of South Africa. 

"This year, we are proud to award the Shield of Jove to Tatjana Smith and Mpumelelo Mhlongo, in recognition of their exceptional achievements at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"These remarkable achievements are the product of a collective commitment to building a sustainable sporting culture in South Africa. Our athletes have excelled because of the investments we’ve made in sports infrastructure, in grassroots development and in training systems.

"However, we must do more to ensure that the next generation of South African athletes has even greater opportunities to succeed.

"We must continue to invest in youth development, ensuring that children in every part of our country – whether urban or rural – have access to sports programmes.

"This means strengthening our partnerships with local schools, community centres and clubs. We must make sure that our youth are equipped with the skills, coaching and facilities they need to reach their full potential.

"We must never forget that every medal won – every record broken – is a testament to the countless hours of training, sacrifice and dedication that our athletes put into their craft.

"Today is a celebration not just of the medals our athletes have won, but of the spirit of South Africa."