Olympic gold medalist Tatjana Smith poses for a selfie with Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie and Gauteng Sports and Education MEC Matome Chiloane as Team South Africa arrives back in SA from the Paris Olympics. Picture: Michael Sherman/IOL
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie was in attendance, along with a cheering crowd of just over 1,000 joyous South Africans, who welcomed back Mzansi’s Olympic gold medalist Tatjana Smith (nee Schoenmaker) and the rest of the Team South Africa as they landed at the OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday after the Paris Olympics.
Smith was Team South Africa’s top achiever at the Paris Olympics with the gold and silver medal in the 100 metre and 200 metre breaststroke respectively.
A proud fan who got to be up close and personal with Smith was generous enough to hand the retiring swimming star a R100 note for her performance in Paris.
”I wish I could give you more,” said the woman as she handed over a note after posing for a selfie with one of South Africa’s greatest Olympians.
By the time Team South Africa came out led by Smith close to 1,000 fans had gathered in the arrivals hall of the airport with South African flags flying proudly across the crowd and had their vuvuzelas blaring.
Fans had already gathered hours before the arrival of team South Africa, but when the sports minister McKenzie came through and welcomed back Smith, the crowd cheered on their stars wildly.
McKenzie said South Africa was very proud of Team SA’s medal hall at the Olympics after they doubled their medal tally from the Tokyo Olympics.
McKenzie went on to say that he intended to send double the number of athletes to the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, and that he hoped to improve South Africa even further.
No athlete would have to be put in the position again of complaining about a lack of funding under his watch, he declared.
Later, the crowd went berserk when matric pupil and Olympic silver medalist Bayanda Walaza, came out to the massive cheers of the fans at the airport.