Tatjana Schoenmaker (Tuks) has been nominated by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) for their best athlete award.
When speaking to Schoenmaker about how she feels about her first international awards nomination, she comes across as being nervous. It is a few minutes before she has to dive in to start training.
"We started one of the worst cycles of our training regime; swimming at race pace. I hate the burn. I don't think I have burned so much during any race. There are times while swimming that I feel I am probably going to die. All that saves me is that I am not alone in my suffering," explains the Tuks swimmer.
As if to confirm her fears Rocco Meiring (TuksSwimming head coach) gleefully announces to the swimmers lining up at the edge of the pool that they should get ready to meet "their ancestors".
"You might see things in the water you have never seen before," Meiring added jokingly.
For a moment, Schoenmaker forgets what awaits her and gets back to speak about being nominated.
"I consider it a huge honour. It actually feels unreal. It does not feel like it should be me who is being nominated for international awards. I still got to get used to the idea. I hope this will inspire other young swimmers. They should realise that nothing is impossible if you are prepared to put in the long hours."
So far this season it seemed as if Schoenmaker, can do nothing wrong. The Tuks swimmer made South African sports history during the World Long Course Championships in South Korea by becoming the first female swimmer to medal. Schoenmaker finished second in the 200m breaststroke.
During the World Student Games in Napoli, Italy she won two gold medals (100m as well as 200m breaststroke). To top it all, she also won two gold medals at the Tokyo World Cup (100m and 200m breaststroke).
Over the last three years, the Tuks swimmer has managed to continually improve her 200m breaststroke times. In 2017 her best was 2:24.61. Last year it was 2:22.02. Now during the World Championships in Korea, she swam 2:21.79.
During next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo, it is guaranteed that Schoenmaker will have to be faster if she wants to be a medal contender.
"It is scary thinking about it. I have already been pushing myself to the limits. There is not much to change. How many sessions more should I do? I think the best is to trust in the process. Hopefully, my body will get stronger and faster."
An interesting question is how she feels about being internationally competitive in the 100m as well as 200m breaststroke events. Some consider it to be quite a challenge, even impossible. Schoenmaker, however, is up to it.
"Penny Heyns proved during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta that it is possible to win gold in both events. That is why I don't want to only specialise in the 200m-breaststroke. I might end up being more successful over 200 metres, but I will never give up on the 100m breaststroke."
The FISU Awards function is on 15 November in Turin.
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