Tatjana Smith Storms into Pole Position for Paris 2024 100m ...

Tatjana Smith took a step closer to bagging another Olympic medal, booking a place in Monday night’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games final of the 100m breaststroke at the Paris La Defense Arena in France, on Sunday, 28 July, 2024.

The golden girl of SA swimming cruised through her morning heat, qualifying quickest for the evening semifinal where she then swam exactly the same time of 1:05.00. That also saw her through to Monday’s final as the fastest swimmer on the night.

“I’m just grateful to be swimming much faster times. That’s my fastest time since Tokyo but I think most of all, it’s not even for me anymore or about the time. It’s just really enjoying the experience and I’m having so much more fun.”

“I’m excited,” she said after the race. “I’m so glad to have a lane in the final. Obviously, lane four is a really nice lane. It’s a blessing but, also, sometimes not… You never know what to expect so, if you have a lane, you have a chance,” she added.

“I know I’ve prepared as best as I could, so now is the fun part.” 100m Breaststroke Olympic Record Holder, Tatjana Smith

Later in the evening, Aimee Canny competed in her first-ever Olympic semifinal. The US-based swimmer finished sixth in a time of 1:57.37 and just missed out on the final by two spots.

“It was OK, not a terrible time. I didn’t feel the greatest but I just tried to soak it all in and it’s an amazing atmosphere.”

“I think I was a bit all over the place,” said Canny afterwards, “Up and down, and I think that broke my momentum a bit, but it’s something to work on. That’s my first individual race at the Olympics, so, big wins.”

Sarah Baum beat Camilla Kemp to progress to surf against the Tokyo 2020 champion, USA’s Carissa Moore on Monday evening. Photo: Surfing SA

Meanwhile, over 15,000km away in Tahiti where the Olympic surfing competition is being held, Sarah Baum was up against Camilla Kemp from Germany, where her best two waves were scored at 10.50 against Kemp’s 4.94, and will surf against Tokyo 2020 gold medalist, the USA’s Carissa Moore, overnight on Monday in round three, for a shot at the quarter-finals on Tuesday evening.

“Sarah sneaked into two good west bombs for decent barrels, high scores, and the win.”  Surfing South Africa on Facebook

The judges have scored Moore at 16.50 (9.00 + 7.50) in the first round against Baum’s 8.47, and while Baum’s second-round win score of 10.50 is a big improvement, the South African WSL J-Bay Classic winner will need to bring all over her experience and skill to upset the USA’s defending Olympic champion.

Back on the outskirts of Paris, there was disappointment at the Elancourt Hill mountain bike track where Candice Lill’s Olympic medal hopes came crashing down on the second lap when her entire wheel rim cracked. Explaining what happened, the devastated 32-year-old said: 

“The first lap was chaos. I knew it was going to be. Everyone goes out guns blazing, it’s the Olympic start line.” SA MTB champion, Candice Lill

“My strategy was just to take the start as it comes and stay patient and try and get as far forward as I could. I think I was in a really good position, maybe a few places further back than I would have wanted but by the second lap… feeling good and moving up. And then obviously the wheel thing happened.”

Candice Lill pictured after finishing 20th in the MTB, at Elancourt Hill in Paris on Sunday. Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images After opening scoring with a first-ever Olympic goal against Australia, the SA Hockey squad lost 2-1 to Australia in their first match on Sunday. Photo: FIH

“I came down one of the roll-downs on the course – like it’s a rock roll – and as I hit the bottom my back wheel just blew to pieces so I had to run down to the tech zone and change a wheel and get going again by which point I had obviously lost a lot of positions.

“The rim is cracked, it snapped open and the tyre blew and everything so it was a mess. So it was really disappointing. I don’t know why these things happen. The sport, and especially this course, is so tough like that but I think that’s what makes it so fantastic when it does all come together on one day.”

While desperately disappointed to have missed out, Lill said she now had a “bee in her bonnet” and was hungrier than ever for success at the World Championships in Andorra at the end of next month.

The SA women’s hockey team did exceptionally well against three-time Olympic champions Australia in their opening pool match, holding them at 1-1 for much of the match before going down 2-1.

Boipelo Awuah finished 18th in the women’s street skateboarding prelims, and didn’t make it through to the final Photo: Boipelo Awuah on Instagram Ireland’s Beibhinn Parsons fends off the SA defense in their second match at the Games on Sunday. Photo: Mike Lee / KLC fotos for World Rugby

SA captain Erin Christie said afterwards: “We’re disappointed not to have gotten a result. I think we fought hard for that one point and there was one goal difference between the two sides. 

“I think as a start to our Olympic campaign, we wanted to make a mark on this game and we wanted to prove that we’re here to compete, and I think we did do that.” SA Hockey captain, Erin Christie 

“For us it’s all about building and so the next game we will focus on the little areas that we need to focus on and we will keep going. I’m very, very proud of my team and very proud of the level of hockey that we put out today.”

The SA side’s next match will be against Argentina on Monday afternoon.

In the Women’s artistic gymnastics, Caitlin Rooskrantz performed well in her two rounds on the uneven bars and in the floor exercise, before suffering an untimely injury to withdrew from the vault. 

Elsewhere, Boipelo Awuah finished 18th in the women’s street skateboarding prelims and so didn’t make it through to the final.

It was also a tough day for the SA women’s rugby sevens team who went down 34-5 to Australia in their first pool match and were then defeated 38-0 by Ireland.

Paris 2024 Olympic Games Results on Sunday, 28 July, 2024 Cycling

Women’s MTB cross-country: Candice Lill had to replace a wheel which scuppered her chances of a medal in this event. She continued and finished 20th in 1hr 30min 33sec, which was 9:31 behind gold medallist Pauline Prevot Ferrand of France

Gymnastics

Women’s artistic, qualifying, sub division: Caitlin RooskrantzRotation 1: Rooskrantz earned a score of 13.733 (6.000 difficulty, 7.773 execution) on the uneven barRotation 2: Rooskrantz earned a score of 11.333 (4.700 difficulty, 6.633 execution) on the uneven barsRotation 3: Rooskrantz earned a score of 10.866 (4.400 difficulty, 6.766 execution) on the floor exerciseRotation 4: Rooskrantz suffered an injury and withdrew from the vault

Hockey

Women’s Pool B: Team SA 1 Australia 2

Rugby Sevens

Women’s Pool B: Team SA 5 Australia 34Team SA 0 Ireland 38

Skateboarding

Women’s street prelims: Boipelo Awuah placed 18th in qualifying, skating well, but not progressing into the final

Swimming

Women’s 100m breaststroke, heats: Tatjana Smith won her heat in 1:05.00, which is only 0.18sec off her Olympic record set in Tokyo. She qualified fastest for the evening’s semi-finals, with an identical 1:05.00.Women’s 100m breaststroke, semi-finals: Smith won her semi-final, again in 1:05.00, to qualify fastest for the finalWomen’s 200m freestyle, heats (12.12pm): Aimee Canny finished 5th in her heat in 1:57.81. This placed her 14th fastest overall to qualify for the semi-finalsWomen’s 200m freestyle, semi-finals: Canny went quicker in the evening and will be pleased with her return. She timed 1:57.34 in finishing sixth in her semi-final, for 12th overall. She misses out on a place in the final but can hold her head high

Surfing

Sarah Baum beat the Germany’s Camilla Kemp 10.50 to 4.94 in round 2, and progresses to surf against the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist, USA’s Carissa Moore, overnight on Monday in round three, for a shot at the quarter-finals on Tuesday evening

Schedule of Events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Monday, 28 July, 2024  Rowing

09:57: Single Skulls quarter-finals  – Paige Badenhorst

Swimming

20:40: 100m Butterfly final – Erin Gallagher  21:25: 100 Breast Stroke final – Tatjana Smith 21:41: 200m Freestyle final – Aimee Canny – 200m Freestyle final

Rugby Sevens 

14:00: Great Britain v South Africa20:00: Playoffs Commence

Hockey

17:00: South Africa v Argentina

Surfing 

23:48: Round Three – Sarah Ann Baum

Original Copy: Karien Jonckheere, with editing by gsport

Main Photo Caption: A relaxed-looking Tatjana Smith cruised to victory in the 100m breaststroke in exactly the same time she swam in the morning heat, to see the Tokyo silver medallist through to Monday’s final as the fastest qualifier in France, on Sunday, 28 July, 2024. Photo: Anton Geyser/TeamSA

Photo 2 Caption: Sarah Baum beat Camilla Kemp to progress to surf against the Tokyo 2020 champion, USA’s Carissa Moore on Monday evening. Photo: Surfing SA

Photo 3 Caption: Candice Lill pictured after finishing 20th in the MTB, at Elancourt Hill in Paris on Sunday. Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images

Photo 4 Caption: After opening scoring with a first-ever Olympic goal against Australia, the SA Hockey squad lost 2-1 to Australia in their first match on Sunday. Photo: FIH

Photo 5 Caption: Boipelo Awuah finished 18th in the women’s street skateboarding prelims, and didn’t make it through to the final Photo: Boipelo Awuah on Instagram

Photo 6 Caption: Ireland’s Beibhinn Parsons fends off the SA defense in their second match at the Games on Sunday. Photo: Mike Lee / KLC fotos for World Rugby