The last time a South African breaststroke queen retired, it took 21 years to produce a replacement, but history also suggests it shouldn’t take too long for someone to fill the massive vacuum left by Tatjana Smith.
The search for the next generation of stars kicks off in earnest at the national championships in Gqeberha on Wednesday, with the focus being qualification for the world championships in Singapore from July to August.
From the time Penny Heyns quit after winning her third Olympic breaststroke medal at Sydney 2000, alongside Terence Parkin, it took the equivalent of a child’s transition into adulthood to find a like-for-like replacement in Smith.
But South Africa has continued producing Games medallists across disciplines — Roland Schoeman and his freestyle relay teammates starred at Athens 2004, followed by breaststroke king Cameron van der Burgh and butterfly hero Chad Le Clos at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Smith took over at Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024.
And now for the class of Los Angeles 2028.
One of the front-runners at this stage is Smith’s former Tuks training partner Pieter Coetzé, who reached the 100m and 200m backstroke finals at the Games last year, and is bidding to win the country’s first Olympic backstroke gong since Marianne Kriel at Atlanta 1996.
But coach Rocco Meiring warns that Coetzé — like fellow Olympians Kaylene Corbett and Erin Gallagher — are focusing on academics for 2025 and all three enjoyed a full break last December, potentially leaving them short of the type of fitness they’d normally carry at this time of year. “There’s so much that went into Paris that you have to make up for at another time, and this is the year you have to do it,” he said.
Coetzé, studying a BA in psychology and philosophy, will bid to defend the five titles he won last year in the three backstroke races, as well as the 50m and 100m freestyle events.
Another potential is New Zealand-based Rebecca Meder, a semifinalist at the Paris Olympics, who has entered five events, including the 100m and 200m breaststroke events that Smith dominated last year.
Meder, Olympian Aimee Canny and US-based student Simone Moll will try to deny psychology honours student and two-time Olympic 200m finalist Corbett a first South African title. They’ll also battle each other in the 100m, although the notable absentee is Lara van Niekerk, the reigning double Commonwealth Games champion who is looking to build her way back after injuries and illnesses.
Ruard van Renen flies into the gala hot after recently finishing third in the 100-yard backstroke at the prestigious NCAA gala recently. He has a busy schedule, having entered the backstroke, freestyle and butterfly in both the 50m and 100m.
Another one to watch is Chris Smith, the confident Centurion-based youngster who broke the world under-20 short-course 50m breaststroke record last year. He and his coach have been confident he can qualify for the world championships.
Another competitor trying to claw his way back from obscurity is Matthew Sates, with several swimming insiders eager to see what he does after spending three months training in Switzerland.
He has entered a staggering 10 events — the two individual medley races, the four freestyle events from 50m to 400m, all three butterfly events and the 100m breaststroke.
The main focus for the top swimmers at the national gala from Wednesday to Sunday will be the global showpiece that runs from July 27 to August 3, although most of the university students will be eyeing the World Student Games in Germany from July 16-27.
That was the platform where Smith first cut her teeth internationally in 2017 before stepping up to the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and world championships in 2019.
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