The Olympic champion, Tatjana Smith, and heroic moments in international swimming have become synonymous, but now she plans to take on a new challenge as a jogger.

Next weekend, she will take part in the Sappi TuksRace, a 10-kilometre event. It is a first for her. She has never run 10 km before. Her first and only race has been a 5 km park run. Her running heroics did not go unnoticed. Steven Ball, Director of TuksSport & Acting CEO of hpc, picked up on it. So she got an invite to come run the Sappi TuksRace.

Last year, after winning the 100m breaststroke at the Paris Olympic Games and a silver in the 200m breaststroke, Smith announced her retirement from competitive swimming.

"Being the master of my time is nice. I now have an opportunity to try out different new stuff. As a competitive swimmer, training for up to six hours daily, I missed many firsts.

"My journey as a runner only started. True to my nature, my competitive edge immediately kicked in. In my first week, I went to run four or five times. It was a big mistake. I could feel the onset of a shinsplint injury. It stands to reason. Having swum for over 20 years means my body is not used to impact sports. My body needs time to adjust. If I am lucky, I now only run twice to three times a week for about 30 minutes. After the park run, I also needed to give my body time to recover.

"What I like about running is that you open the front door and start running. It is a different way of challenging myself.”

Are you still swimming?

"If you had asked me in 2022 or even at the start of 2023 whether I would continue to swim after I retired, I might have said I am not sure. But on my retirement, I regained my love for swimming. It is nice to return to the Tuks swimming pool, the place I called home for such a long time, see my coach, Rocco Meiring, and be with the squad. It brings me comfort. Swimming has taught me so much about myself. I have taken some of the lessons I have learnt in becoming a competitive swimmer to the next chapter of my life."

As to her plans for the future, Smith said she is taking one day at a time for now.

"I am still getting used to being retired as a professional swimmer and the concept of not doing the same thing all the time. It is a process in the making to see what my passion will be outside of the swimming pool. I still have to deal with a lot of emotions at times."

The Sappi TuksRace on 15 February includes the 21.1 km & 10 km official events and 5 km & 1 km fun family events. Athletes who decide to run the Sappi TuksRace 21 km will pass the Sappi Tech Centre at the 18 km marker watering point.

Online entries are now open! Visit entryninja.com to register your entry before the closing date: Tuesday, 11 February.