South Africa’s most decorated Olympian switches allegiances to the Netherlands

South Africa’s most-decorated Olympic athlete Tatjana Smith has changed her allegiance to compete for the Netherlands.

Smith is a two-time Olympic breaststroke champion, winning 100m gold at the Paris 2024 after claiming the 200m gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021, as Tatjana Schoenmaker.

She acknowledged that this decision “may disappoint or break the hearts” of some supporters but cited the financial benefits of the switch in sustaining her swimming career.

In a tearful video message posted on Instagram, she said: “The reality is that this opportunity also offers greater high-performance support and the potential to build a more sustainable career.

“The financial and practical challenges of swimming were among the reasons my previous career became difficult to sustain. This time I want to make a different choice: protect the love that brought me back to the sport and give myself the best possible opportunity to pursue my new Olympic dream.”

Smith also has two Olympic silvers to her name, in the 100m at Tokyo and the 200m in Paris, which saw her become South Africa’s most successful Olympic athlete. Swimmer Chad le Clos also has four medals though just one gold.

She retired from competitive swimming after Paris and announced a comeback two months ago, targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics – now in Dutch orange instead of South African green and gold.

She said she would continue training in South Africa.

“I chose South Africa at the beginning of my career because I wanted to prove what was possible, even when the system didn’t make it easy. And I did,” she added.

“But I also believe our athletes deserve a system that gives them an opportunity to thrive, not just survive.”

Additional reporting from AP