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Tatjana Smith, Olympic swimming gold medalist, switches from South Africa to Netherlands

Tatjana Smith, a swimming gold medalist at the last two Olympics for South Africa, will now represent the Netherlands in international competition.

Smith, who holds South African and Dutch citizenship, already had her sport nationality change confirmed by World Aquatics, according to a press release from Smith’s team.

Smith, whose last major international meet was the Paris Olympics, will rep the Netherlands at the World Short Course Championships from Dec. 1-6 in Beijing.

“Representing South Africa at the Olympic Games was my biggest childhood dream,” Smith said in the release. “To have lived that dream and won four Olympic medals is something I will always treasure. Both South Africa and the Netherlands have always been part of who I am. I am deeply grateful to the South African swimming community, all my coaches, and to every South African who cheered me on. That gratitude will never change.”

Smith, the 200m breaststroke gold medalist in Tokyo (as Tatjana Schoenmaker) and 100m breast gold medalist in Paris, ended a two-year retirement in September, returning at South Africa’s trials for short course worlds.

She will continue to train in South Africa.

“Representing the Netherlands offers Smith the opportunity to explore her Dutch roots through sport and experience a different approach to high-performance training,” the release stated. “The support structure available will allow her to dedicate herself fully to her performance and build a more sustainable swimming career.”

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