Tatjana Schoenmaker: “May we praise God no matter what the outcome”

The South African swimmer wins gold in the 200m breaststroke final, sets a new World Record, and praises God: “Soli Deo Gloria”.

AUTOR 5/Evangelical_Focus TOKYO 02 DE AGOSTO DE 2021 10:29 h

Tatjana Shoenmaker, as she realises she has beaten the 200m breaststroke World Record, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. / Photo via [link]Twitter Team South Africa[/link].

South African swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker not only won the 200m breaststroke gold medal in Tokyo 2020, but also set a new World Record, becoming the first woman ever to swim under two minutes nineteen seconds.

As she finished the race, it took the 24-year-old athlete several seconds to realise that she had not only won the final but also made the best time in history: 2:18,95.

The images of her rivals in the finals embracing the winner and expressing their happiness for Schoenmaker has been praised as a great example of fair play. Tatjana’s gold medal was the first for South Africa in these Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

According to Christian Premier News, Schoenmaker, who is vocal about her Christian faith, usually swims with two caps, the official green RSA cap of her country, and a second blue cap with a fish (a traditional Christian symbol) on one side, and the words “Soli Deo Gloria” on the other.

In a Twitter post just before starting the Olympic competitions, Shoenmaker wrote:

“Let the Games begin. Father God may your will be done, may your peace fill us up, may we praise you no matter what the outcome, may we be empowered by your strength to give it our all and may we forever be in the awe of your goodness! Thank you for bringing us to this very moment”.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Father God may your will be done, may your peace fill us up, may we praise you no matter what the outcome, may we be empowered by your strength to give it our all and may we forever be in the awe of your goodness! pic.twitter.com/FE21q66Bvs

— Tatjana Schoenmaker (@TRSchoenmaker) July 23, 2021

Speaking to South African radio Capetalk, Tajana’s father, Rene, said: “I can’t describe how we are feeling. How proud we are of her, and how much it means to us, and the country as well… It shows what kind of person she is. With people [competitors] coming straight after, congratulating her…”. Speaking to News24, he added that her daughter was started swimming ten years ago, and has been “humble and hard-working”.

In these Olympic Games, Shoenmaker had already been on the podium. Two days earlier, she won the silver medal in the 100m breaststroke final.