BEST WOMEN’S RELAY PERFORMANCE

>> Tatjana Schoenmaker was ecstatic in garnering the first swimming medal for a South African woman in 21 years when she finished second in the 100 breaststroke. And the South African’s win in the 200 breast three days later wasn’t just another installment of joyous history for her and her country. It marked the first and only women’s individual world record of the Games, a milestone that brought tears to Schoenmaker’s eyes anew. [ Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher / USA Today Sports ]

It marked the first and only women’s individual world record of the Games, a milestone that brought tears to Schoenmaker’s eyes anew.

And with her compatriot, Kaylene Corbett, and the other two occupants of the podium—silver medalist Lilly King and bronze medalist Annie Lazor, both of the United States—Schoenmaker delivered not just an unforgettable swim, but one of the indelible images of the Games: the four women embracing in shared jubilation in the pool.

“I would’ve never even thought, because it’s my first Olympics, that for me to get a lane in the final, then everyone stands a chance,” Schoenmaker said. “That’s the thing I’ve always been after. This has exceeded all my expectations, so I couldn’t be happier.”

Schoenmaker’s expectations were relatively modest entering the Games. Though the 24-year-old entered as the fifth seed in the 100 and tops in the 200, she was able to ease into the Games, with the 100 as her less favored event. Her ability to attack that swim with early speed to complement her tried-and-true back-half endurance boded well.

It cushioned any blow of Jacoby surging past her in the 100 breast final, though with Schoenmaker maintaining that merely making a final was her goal all along, there wasn’t much to cushion.

The 200 was hers from start to finish. She set an Olympic record in prelims at 2:19.16, dashing Rebecca Soni’s mark from London. She was first in the semis and matched the early speed of King in the final, overtaking her on the third 50. When Schoenmaker hit the wall, she glanced at the board to see a margin of victory of nearly a second over King and a world record of 2:18.95.

From the party hosted by her parents in the wee hours of the Johannesburg morning in South Africa to the celebration unfolding over the lane line in Tokyo, Schoenmaker’s joy matched the moment.

“It was exciting because it was such a good race,” Schoenmaker said. “It was also amazing that all the girls could celebrate each others’ victories. We all came together in the middle, and I really hope it stays like that and goes on to other strokes, because it’s so amazing to celebrate with each other and leave the competition in the pool...and after the race is done, to just be with each other and have fun.” — Matthew De George

BEST WOMEN’S RELAY PERFORMANCE: AUSTRALIA (400 FREESTYLE RELAY)

Emma McKeon wasn’t yet a seven-time medalist. The Australians hadn’t yet mowed through the women’s field at the Tokyo Olympics at a dominant clip. The years of Olympic performances that ranged from incomplete to outright disappointing wasn’t yet banished into the dustbin of history.

But in the first finals session of the Games, the pathway to Australian dominance was already clear. As the two-time reigning champion in the women’s 400 freestyle relay, the Australians wouldn’t take anyone by surprise. The Aussies held the top seed, the Olympic record from 2016, world record from 2018 and the nearest buzz of that mark from the 2019 World Championships. With no wobble in the heats, it was going to take a monumental charge from the field to keep the gold streak from reaching three.

What the Australians produced in the final managed to somehow