TATJANA SMITH ENDS RETIREMENT TO TARGET LA 2028

Tatjana Smith has come out of retirement with the aim of competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, according to the swimmer. The double Olympic champion, who is South Africa's most decorated Olympian, said she had been "missing the water" and described her return as "a little crazy, a little scary and very exciting all at once". Smith, 29, retired after the Paris 2024 Games but is now returning to the sport with a new focus: the 50m breaststroke, an event that does not currently feature at the Olympics. Her comeback begins at the South African Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg, running from 24 to 27 September, where she is entered in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke events.

Smith won 100m breaststroke gold and 200m breaststroke silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics, adding to 200m breaststroke gold and 100m breaststroke silver at the Tokyo 2020 Games. She also formerly held the world record in the 200m breaststroke. Speaking to the BBC World Service, Smith said her retirement had stemmed from a combination of burnout, financial disputes and wider frustrations with the sport, but that stepping away had given her distance from swimming, including time spent trying an Olympic-distance triathlon. She said that despite the difficulty of the decision at the time, she believed retiring when she did was "the best decision".

Smith said targeting the 50m breaststroke represented "a new challenge, a new event, a new race, but also a new me", noting the event carries "no history" for her to draw on. She said Los Angeles 2028 remains her goal but stressed it is "not a promise", adding that she must still build a race, qualify and earn her place on the blocks. No further competitive appearances beyond the Pietermaritzburg championships have been confirmed.