Nando’s offers a classic reaction to Tatjana’s gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics

The popular fast food chain Nando’s is known for their quick and witty responses to current events. They’ve jumped on the Tatjana Smith bandwagon following her gold medal win at the Paris 2024 Olympics. And rightly so.

NANDO’S HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

Tatjana Smith had a different surname when she stunned the world in 2020 with gold in the 200m breaststroke final, posting a world record time of 2.18.95. More of a specialist over that distance, she’s claimed gold in the 100m after scooping silver in Tokyo four years ago.

SMITH SHRUGS OFF A SLOW START TO POWER HOME AND BECOME OLYMPIC CHAMPION

Tatjana Smith, previously Schoenmaker when she broke the world record to claim gold in the 200m breaststroke event four years ago in Tokyo, has won gold again. This time, in the 100m event in Paris. 27-year-old Smith won silver in this event in Japan but wasn’t to be denied in Paris, touching the wall first in 1.05.28 thanks to a massive surge in the final quarter of the race. Worldwide commentators hardly mentioned Smith in the second half of the race but she got the job done by the skin of her teeth. China’s Tang Qianting scooped silver and a visibly delighted Mona McSharry, from Ireland, got the bronze.

South Africans must have had their hearts in their mouths for a second. As a staff member from The South African said after race when Smith was the red-hot pre-event favourite, “Thank heavens the race was 100m, not 99…”

SIMBINE’S LAST DANCE IN THE 100M TRACK EVENT?

South African sprint sensation Akani Simbine ran a time of 9.93 seconds at Tokyo 2020 in the 100m final. That meant he missed a bronze medal by a heartbreaking four-hundredths of a second behind Canada’s Andre De Grasse. Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs was the surprise gold medalist four years ago in a wide-open field that Simbine fancied his chances of winning in the Land of the Rising Sun. Four years before that, Simbine finished fifth in the 100m final in Rio De Janeiro; the medalists that night were iconic Jamaican Usain Bolt with gold, USA’s Justin Gatlin claiming silver and De Grasse scooping the bronze. Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 contain painful ‘what if’ thoughts and memories for Akani Simbine, but Paris 2024 can change all of that. Now 30, he has the chance to atone.

The preliminary round of the Men’s 100m event is on Saturday 03 August at 10:35 SA time. That’s followed by Round 1 at 11:45. Sunday 04 August sees the semi-finals at 20:00 and then the grand final, where Simbine will hope to line up, at 21:50. Don’t miss it for the world, and don’t you just love the Olympics?