SA Sports Awards: 'Every nomination is special,' says Tatjana Smith

JOHANNESBURG - The best athletic performers of the past year will convene in Sun City on Sunday night for the 18^th edition of the SA Sports Awards.

Under the theme “Sporting Excellence,” the categories recognise performances from the period between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024.

Akani Simbine, Tatjana Smith and Mpumelelo Mhlongo are among the nominees who will fight it out for Sport Star of the Year, while Smith will also compete in the Sportswoman of the Year category.

Speaking to Eyewitness News, the now-retired Olympian, Smith, admits it is always an honour to be recognised by her country.

“I think every single time (you are nominated) it’s always special,” she said. “We are all so proud to represent our country. It is always sad to say goodbye to the sport, but for the country to still celebrate what I have achieved is a massive honour.”

At the age of 27, Smith shocked the sporting world in 2024 by announcing her retirement from swimming after becoming the most decorated South African Olympian in history.

Smith won gold in the 200-metre breaststroke and the silver in the 100-metre breaststroke at the 2020 Olympic Games.

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In 2024, she followed it up with a gold medal in the 100-metre breaststroke and silver in the 200-metre breaststroke at the Paris Games.

A year on from that triumph, she admits it has not always been easy to figure out her next move.

“Still figuring it out,” she said about what she is up to. “Swimming is a massive part of my life, and closing that chapter is still challenging. Sometimes you have regrets, ‘Should I have done it? Should I have not?’ But you work through those emotions. I am trying to prioritise myself and my mental health.”

She does concede that at the moment, her favourite part of retirement is not having to wake up early on a cold winter’s morning to go swimming.

As for the sporting landscape in South Africa, Smith is grateful to have been part of a generation that continued to fly the flag high in the international arena.

“We see how sports really unite us, and to be part of that is amazing,” she says of her sporting peers.

“It shows that we can as South Africans. My career for me was always to prove that we can do it from South Africa, and I think most of the other athletes have the same story. Give us an opportunity and we will rise above.”