Tatjana Schoenmaker is the world champion in her preferred item!
The 26-year-old South African has just won the final of the 200 m breaststroke event at the World Championships in Japan.
Her winning time of 2:20.80 means that she is the only swimmer in the final run who could swim faster than 2:21.
She was admittedly not the fastest out of the starting blocks, but her smooth approach paved the way for a strong performance over the last 50m and she put water in the eyes of respected opponents such as Kate Douglass, Tes Schouten and Lilly King.
King, the defending world champion, finished fourth overall with her time of 2:22.25.
????????Tatjana SCHOENMAKER with an amazing last 50m takes home gold ???? in the 200m Breaststroke #AUQAFukuoka23 pic.twitter.com/y7pxFYa9j1
— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) July 28, 2023
Gold at the World Championship does not necessarily guarantee Olympic success, but it undoubtedly provides a very welcome injection of momentum with a view to France in 2024.
On Tuesday, Schoenmaker took a decent lead in the 200 m final when she swam the silver medal in the 100 m breaststroke event.
“I didn’t expect it at all. At my previous World Championship (in 2019) I finished sixth in this event; A medal is therefore incredible,” said a satisfied Schoenmaker after the 100 m event.
Results of the 200m breaststroke final:
- Tatjana Shoemaker: 2:20.80
- Kate Douglass: 2:21.23
- Test Schouten: 2:21.63
- Lilly King: 2:22.25
- Thea Blomsterberg: 2:22.42
- Kotryna Teterevkova: 2:24.22
- Abbey Harkin: 2:24.55
- Kelsey Waugh: 2:25.21.
