Being married to the first black Springbok captain has put Rachel Kolisi on South Africa’s radar, the same way being married to an Olympic gold medalist has put Joel Smith on the radar. However, some are still not aware that Rachel and Joel are siblings.
Born Tatjana Schoenmaker, the Olympian got married to Joel Smith in November 2023 after going Instagram official in January of the same year. Joel shared a heartwarming snap of the couple on Instagram with the caption “My Valentine.”
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According to his Instagram, Joel previously worked at the Kolisi Foundation as a consultant. He has also previously worked for Roc Nation. He is currently working with the Livingstone Management Group as a business partner. Joel is an avid traveller and loves his pet dogs dearly.
Between Joel and Rachel, we are unsure who to consider the luckier sibling, and who won the marriage Olympics. Rachel has the privilege of calling three-time Olympic medalist Tatjana her sister-in-law, while Joel gets to call the back-to-back rugby champion and captain Siya Kolisi his brother-in-law. However, we are sure that they both hit the jackpot as they have managed to find love and happiness with two of South Africa’s great athletes. Either way, we civilians are taking notes.
We cannot help but wonder what goes through each person’s mind when they think about how they have created one of the most iconic sports families to come out of South Africa.
Also see: Recap of the first weekend of the Olympic Games for SA
