2023 Swammy Awards: African Female Swimmer of the Year – Tatjana Schoenmaker

See all of our 2023 Swammy Awards here.

AFRICAN FEMALE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: TATJANA SCHOENMAKER, SOUTH AFRICA

After opting to sit out of the 2022 World Championships, and following that up with a so-so performance (by her lofty standards) at the Commonwealth Games, Tatjana Schoenmaker relinquished the Swammy Award for African Female Swimmer of the Year after four straight wins last year, but reclaims it after a very strong 2023.

Schoenmaker had a consistent year that was highlighted by winning her first world title in the women’s 200 breaststroke, as the South African held off American Kate Douglass (2:21.23) to top the podium in Fukuoka in a time of 2:20.80.

Schoenmaker was also the silver medalist in the 100 breast, clocking 1:05.84 in the final after delivering her fastest swim of the year, 1:05.53, in the semis.

The 26-year-old, who was the only South African swimmer to win a medal at the World Championships, also placed 14th in the prelims of the 50 breast (30.70) before scratching out of the semi-finals.

Just this past week, Schoenmaker was back in action at the South African World Championship Trials in Durban, where she reeled off her fastest swim since setting the world record at the Tokyo Olympics (2:18.95) in the 200 breast in a time of 2:20.30.

Overall, the swim stands up as the 5th-fastest of Schoenmaker’s career, and ranks her 2nd in the world for the 2023 calendar year, trailing newly-minted world record holder Evgeniia Chikunova of Russia.

Schoenmaker also finishes the year ranked 6th in the 100 breast with her swim from the World Championships.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Lara van Niekerk, South Africa — van Niekerk fell just shy of repeating as the World Championship bronze medalist in the women’s 50 breaststroke, placing 4th in the final (30.08) after producing a time of 29.91 in the semis. That was just one of five sub-30 swims the 20-year-old put up in 2023, with her fastest coming in at 29.75, which ranked her #4 for 2023 and fell just shy of the African Record she set last year (29.72). van Niekerk’s fastest swim of the year in the 100 breast came in at 1:06.65, set in March, which ranks 26th worldwide for 2023. She was 18th in that event at the World Championships, clocking 1:07.03.
• Farida Osman, Egypt — Osman had a strong year that culminated at the World Championships, placing 4th in the women’s 50 fly in a time of 25.62. The Worlds bronze medalist in the event at both the 2017 and 2019 World Championships, Osman has now finished in the top four at the World Championships in four straight editions, as her performance in Fukuoka matched where she finished last year in Budapest (when she set the African Record of 25.38). The 28-year-old also earned a second swim in the 50 free, placing 16th after clocking 24.86 in the prelims, her fastest since 2018 (PB of 24.62 from 2017). In the 100 fly, she took 19th at Worlds in 59.09.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

• 2022 Swammy — Lara van Niekerk, South Africa
• 2021 Swammy — Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa
• 2020 Swammy — Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa
• 2019 Swammy — Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa
• 2018 Swammy — Tatjana Schoenmaker, South Africa
• 2017 Swammy — Farida Osman, Egypt
• 2016 Swammy — Farida Osman, Egypt
• 2015 Swammy — Farida Osman, Egypt
• 2014 Swammy — Karin Prinsloo, South Africa
• 2013 Swammy — Farida Osman, Egypt