Retired SA golden girl, ready to roll up her sleeves for the country

Smith announced this during her return to the country earlier today, as she received a hero’s welcome at the OR Tambo International Airport. 

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The double gold medalist, who won gold in the 100m and silver in the 200m breaststroke events, announced in Paris that she’s retiring from professional swimming. Smith says she’s ready to assist when time allows it.

''I will never say no, for now I am just coming to terms with my retirement. It has been 22 years that I have been swimming. It is going to be a whole lifestyle change. I am giving myself space where I will figure out what I am going to do next. I feel that we have learned so much and we have to share and help others to get to experience what we got to experience today. I won't say no, the door is always open,'' said Smith.

In back-to-back Olympic Games, Smith has returned with four medals, two gold and two silver, and is the only South African athlete to achieve gold in both. She has been in the sport for 22 years and, in this period, has seen a number of promising swimmers who couldn’t make it due to lack of resources.

''I definitely do think that we lose a lot of people, there's always a massive gap where we fall short. I think it comes from a financial side, sport is expensive and living costs are expensive. You really need that backing to be able to get to international level and race there,'' added Smith.

 Throughout her swimming career, Smith (27) achieved at different levels of the sport, including the World Student Games (two gold medals), a double gold medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and four medals at the Olympics. At all these levels, it’s been proven that if University Sport South Africa (USSA), Swimming South Africa (Swim SA), SASCOC, and the government can work together, a lot can be achieved.

 ''It's not going to take me as one athlete, it's going to be a collective thing, because we experience different things. It can't be just one person, but I am definitely willing to be a part of that,'' she concluded.

 Smith has also been involved in the Operation Excellence Programme (OPEX) for the past six to seven years, where SASCOC allocates funding to athletes to help them prepare for the Olympics and World Championship events. Some athletes have seen the good and the bad of this programme, and she says a lot can still be achieved in sport in the country.