Tatjana Schoenmaker made Olympic history on Wednesday, setting a new record for the women\u2019s 200-meter breaststroke. The 24-year-old Olympic swimmer started off completing the preliminary round at an impressive 2:9:16 then proceeded to break another record for the 100-meter breaststroke with a wonderful time of 1:04:82. The South African silver-medalist immediately gave credit for her victory to God and hopes to lead others to Him.<\/p>\n
Schoenmaker accomplished these phenomenal records while sporting a swim cap displaying her Christian faith. Beneath her green South Africa swim cap is a white cap with the well-known Christian symbol of a Jesus fish along with the phrase \u201cSoli Deo Gloria,\u201d which translates to \u201cGlory to God alone,\u201d on the side.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the first time that the successful Olympiad has proclaimed Christian beliefs to the world. The swimmer is known for posting about her faith on her social media pages. In 2016, Schoenmaker announced that she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and got baptized. She posted on Instagram again in 2017 on the anniversary of her baptism to highlight the importance of the life-changing moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, a year ago, I made the best decision of my life, by accepting Jesus as my personal Savior, and that I am willing to commit my entire life in humble obedience and service to God (Acts 2:36-38),\u201d Schoenmaker wrote in the caption. She also expressed her excitement about being baptized with two of her friends that day. \u201cI got to do it with these two ladies who also wanted this amazing new life with God. GOD IS GOOD.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schoenmaker\u2019s most recent faith post was when she and her team traveled to Tokyo for the Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cFather God, may Your will be done, may Your peace fill us up, may we praise You no matter what the outcome, may we be empowered by Your strength to give our all and may we forever be in awe of Your goodness!\u201d her Instagram post stated. \u201cThank You for bringing us to this very moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Aug. 16, 2020, Schoenmaker stated in an Instagram post that 2020 was supposed to be \u201cher year\u201d to swim in the Olympics finally. She explained that she even took a break from her education to train for the Olympics. Despite her efforts, the Olympics did not happen due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and she realized it was not God\u2019s plan for her at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201c[2020], the year I\u2019ve been training for my whole swimming career, but what I realized is it was the year I planned, and not necessarily God\u2019s planned year,\u201d the caption read. \u201cWe always get so caught up in making our plans and doing it our way, but is it in line with God\u2019s plan\/way? Thank you, God, for making me realize that your plans for 2020 are bigger than just my plans and may I trust that you have greater things to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Christian swimmer trusted God\u2019s plan and her Olympic dreams came to fruition this year. It is incredibly inspiring that throughout her successes, Schoenmaker has always given glory to God. Her mission to provide Him with thanks and direct others to Jesus with her influential platform is fantastic.<\/p>\n