Schoenmaker is UP-Tuks sportswoman of the year

Upping the tally of her international medal collection won’t be a priority next year for the Commonwealth breaststroke champion, Tatjana Schoenmaker, as her focus will be more on being at her best for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

However, it does not mean that Schoenmaker who on Friday received the award as UP-Tuks Sportswoman of the Year will just be making up the numbers when competing internationally. If there is one thing, she relishes it is a good duel in the pool.

Her coach, Rocco Meiring, who is known for not “going hunting with a shotgun” approach when it comes to helping his swimmers set personal goals views 2019 as being crucial in ensuring that Schoenmaker will be at her best for the Games in Tokyo.

“Tatjana and I still got to finalise what our plans for next year are going to be. If I had my way, the main focus would be on volume training. With volume training, it does not mean I am going to increase her workload in the pool. She is already putting in the long hard hours,” explained Meiring who received the UP-Tuks award as the best coach working with individual athletes.

 “Don’t get me wrong. Every time Tatjana will be competing internationally her goal will be to swim times faster than the qualification standards set by FINA. At the moment it means that in the 100m-breaststroke she will have to swim faster than 1:07.7 and in the 200m-breaststroke faster than 2:25.22. If she is not able to do so, it means the training we are doing is wrong, and I will have to make some adjustments.

“The reality is if Tatjana is able to swim these times anything is possible. She might medal wherever she is competing internationally. However, if she does not, it won’t be the end of the world.”

During the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, the Tuks swimmer won the 200m-breaststroke in 2:22.01 and the 100m-breaststroke in 1:06.41.

Meiring also hopes that there will be an opportunity for Schoenmaker to compete and train in Asia as he wants to see how her body reacts to the time difference and the heat and humidity.

Something that is not negotiable to Meiring is that Schoenmaker should get her BCom-degree at the end of next year. He views her studies as important as any swimming achievement.

When listening to Schoenmaker talk about swimming, it becomes clear that success begets success.

“Whenever I look at the photos taken during the Commonwealth Games of winning the 100m- and 200m-breaststroke events I get motivated all over again.  I really want to win at least one more major medal.”

According to Schoenmaker one of the lessons she took to heart from her Games experience is that it does not matter who lines up in the lane next to her as past reputations count for absolutely nothing.

“During the Commonwealth Games, I had no idea of what the other swimmers have achieved. It was only afterwards that I found out that some had competed in Olympic finals.”

Some of the other UP-Tuks Sports Awards recipients are Sportsman: Akani Simbini (athletics); Student sportsmen: Charles Brittain and James Mitchell (rowing); Student sportswoman: Michaela Whitebooi (judo); Sportspersonality – Shaun Anderson (archery).