The Tuks swimmer, Tatjana Schoenmaker, seems to have taken a liking to gold medals as during last night's World Student Games in Napoli, Italy she won the 100m-breaststroke.

To top it all, she also set a new African and South African record. Her winning time during Friday's semi-finals was 1:06.32 which is 0.09 seconds faster than her previous best.

It is the third gold medal Schoenmaker has won in international competitions. During last year's Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, she was victorious in the 100m as well as 200m breaststroke events. 

Schoenmaker's performance last night during the final was undoubtedly gutsy. She was pushed to the limit by her two Japanese rivals. After the first 50 metres, there was not a lot to choose between them. 

The Tuks swimmer clinched the gold medal with a fantastic acceleration over the last 50 metres. Swimming 31.7s. Her winning time was 1:06.42. Mai Fukasawa was second in a time of 1:07.22 and Kanako Watanabe third swimming 1:07.28.

In a way, Schoenmaker's victory could be seen as sweet revenge as during the 2017 World Student Games it was Watanabe who had beaten her to take gold in the 200m-breaststroke. The Tuks swimmer finished second.

Schoenmaker attributed her success to being more confident than the previous time she competed at the World Student Games.

According to her coach, Rocco Meiring, Schoenmaker has been on an emotional rollercoaster since last year's Commonwealth Games. 

"But like a real champ, she did not let it deter her from what needed she needed to do. Tatjana continued to put in the long hard hours during training and making significant sacrifices without ever complaining.

"Experience and having learned how to overcome disappointments taught Tatjana to only focus on the goal at hand when it matters. That is why she won the 100m-breaststroke final."

Kaylene Corbett (Tuks) managed to progress to the semi-finals of the 100m-breaststroke.