{
  "id": 10415120,
  "title": "‘Not bad at all’: Tatjana Smith satisfied with comeback to elite competition",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/not-bad-at-all-tatjana-smith-satisfied-with-comeback-to-elite",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T09:49:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/tatjana-smith-satisfied-comeback-elite-competition/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tatjana Smith expressed satisfaction with her return to elite swimming following her performance at the SA Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg. The four-time Olympic medallist, who retired in 2024, achieved the qualifying standards for the upcoming World Short Course Championships in December. Smith secured the national 50m breaststroke title with a personal best of 29.50 seconds and won the 100m breaststroke final with a time of 1:04.00, just 0.11 seconds short of her own national short course record. Although she set the fastest time in the 200m breaststroke heats (2:23.27), Smith decided to focus on shorter distances as she targets the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Despite being unfamiliar with the 50m race, Smith was pleased with her time in the final, stating, \"It was the first race in a new event, so there are a lot of things going on in your mind, and it’s not a space where you feel comfortable, like I used to be in my 200m. So I was very surprised with that time (in the 50m final), especially because I didn’t feel like I executed it that well… but I didn't do so bad. Not bad at all.\" Other swimmers who qualified for the World Championships in Pietermaritzburg included Michael Houlie and Chris Smith, while Duné Coetzee set the fastest time in the 400m freestyle heats and won the title in 4:06.29. Additionally, 15 swimmers achieved the B qualifying standards for the World Championships, though this did not guarantee them a spot on the national team.",
  "summary": "Smith won the national 50m and 100m breaststroke titles, qualifying for the World Short Course Championships in both events.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}