Tokyo 2020 - South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker smashes 200 metres breaststroke world record to take Olympic gold medal

ByHarry Latham Coyle

Updated 30/07/2021 at 05:06 GMT

The 24-year-old followed silver in the 100m breaststroke with gold over the longer distance. She broke the record of Rikke Moller Pedersen of Denmark, who set her time at the World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona in 2013. American duo Lilly King and Annie Lazor took silver and bronze. You want it? We have it. Stream every Olympic event live on discovery+

Tatjana Schoenmaker of South Africa smashed one of swimming's longest-standing world records as she took victory in the 200 metres breaststroke.

The 24-year-old surged away from American duo Lilly King and Annie Lazor.

Schoenmaker became the first female swimmer to dip under 2 minutes and 19 seconds for a 200m breaststroke.

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Her time of 2:18.95 beat the record of Denmark's Rikke Moller Pedersen, who swam 2:19.11 in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona.

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Other than times set by swimmers in shiny suits in 2009, the record was the longest held female world record in the pool.

It is the third world record set at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre at these Olympics.

Schoenmaker follows the Chinese 4x200m freestyle relay quartet and Australia's 4x100m freestyle relay team.

The South African could not hide her disbelief at an extraordinarily quick swim, and was swiftly embraced by her competitors.

South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker celebrates after she set a new World Record to take gold in the final of the women's 200m breaststroke swimming event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on July 30, 2021. (Photo by

Image credit: Getty Images

Silver medallist King (2:19.92) and bronze medallist Lazor (2:20.84) joined Schoenmaker's teammate Kaylene Corbett - who finished fifth - in surrounding the new record holder.

Great Britain's Molly Renshaw and Abbie Wood finished in sixth and seventh place respectively.

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