Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has congratulated South African swimmer Tatjana Smith for scooping the silver medal in the 200m breaststroke at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Smith was beaten to the wall by 0.36sec by the American Kate Douglass at the La Défence Arena on Thursday evening.

"It was Smith's second medal of the 2024 Paris Games, after taking the 100m gold, and a flip reversal of what she produced at her first Olympics in Tokyo on that occasion, taking silver in the 100m and gold in the longer, more favoured 200m.

"In elevating herself to greatest-ever South African Olympian status, she joined Chad le Clos on four medals, but outweighs him by virtue of her two golds and two silvers.

"While Penny Heyns, in 1996, remains the last women's breaststroker to do the double, Smith tied with Japan's Kosuke Katajima as the only four-time breaststroke medallists in Olympic history, both men and women," the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) said.

The Minister said Smith's achievements stand as an elegant example of the power of women in sport.

"Tatjana, as a nation we are bursting with pride tonight. You fought to the end and were beaten only in the turns by a classy American competitor, Kate Douglass. I applaud you for your warm smile and your honest congratulations for your gold-medal rival in the lane next to you.

"Being able to stay gracious in victory and defeat is what the world will remember most about you, and it is a quality that defines most South Africans. You are a shining example of humility with a killer competitive spirit and undying will to win. May all our young people look up to your example and try to equal or surpass you in future," McKenzie said.

The Minister said South Africa must continue to bring more women into all sports and support them to break every record.