PARIS - Tatjana Smith claimed the Olympic 100m breaststroke title on Monday with a late surge to win a thrilling battle and with it a second career gold.
The 200m breaststroke winner in Tokyo triumphed in Paris with a time of 1:05.28, ahead of China's Tang Qianting, with Ireland's Mona McSharry taking bronze.
The 27-year-old from Johannesburg won silver in the event in Tokyo three years ago but found a late kick to power past Tang and touch home first.
"I just go out there and do my best and I know that every time I dive in, I'm trying as hard as possible. So that's what I do every single race," she said.
"If it happens to be like this then I'm very grateful. It's a massive blessing."
Smith said that having already tasted Olympic gold she knows what her victory will bring.
"When people said after Tokyo life will change, I was like, that's ridiculous.... and it was really just when I came home, just the amount of support," she added.