Smith, who had already claimed the 100m breaststroke title earlier in the week, expressed her decision to retire at a press conference, highlighting her desire to explore new passions and avenues outside of swimming. "I think now it's really about embracing life and seeing what's outside of swimming, what my passions are outside of swimming," she said.

Smith also reflected on her career and the dedication it took to achieve success. "When I was swimming, I really focused on swimming because to stay motivated you need to be passionate about your sport, and I never really changed my mindset," she said. "Tomorrow will be the first day of my life without swimming."

Asked about a possible comeback, Smith was clear: "I don't know if I'm even going to look at the pool for the next 10 years." She did, however, express an interest in remaining connected to the sport in some way. "I feel like I want to give something back to swimming, especially to my country," she said. "I can simply do that by representing the swimmers and athletes, considering that the sport in South Africa is still very much unknown."

Smith closes a remarkable career with an impressive record. In addition to her achievements at these Games, she has already won two medals at Tokyo 2020, a silver in the 100m and a gold in the 200m. It was precisely at that Olympic Games where he set a new world record in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:18.95 minutes. In addition, his trophy cabinet also boasts three more gold medals won at the World Championships in 2019 and 2023. Her farewell marks the end of an era, but also the beginning of an era full of opportunities for the swimmer.