South African swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker screamed in shock when she realized well after her race that she broke the world record

• Tatjana Schoenmaker won gold at Tokyo 2020 on Thursday in the women's 200-meter breaststroke.

• After the race, Schoenmaker looked up and was shocked to realize she had set a new world record.

• Schoenmaker's fellow swimmers joined her in the pool to celebrate.

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South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker won gold in the women's 200-meter breaststroke on Thursday night at Tokyo 2020, and set a new world record in the process.

Entering the race, Schoenmaker was the heavy favorite to win, so her victory didn't come as a shock, but judging by her reaction, the world record was quite a surprise.

After touching the wall, Schoenmaker rested facing away from the pool, catching her breath after an exhausting swim. But when she turned around, she realized that she had set a new world record of 2:18.95.

READ MORE: The updated Tokyo 2020 medal table

Schoenmaker went from perplexed to overjoyed in a span of less than a second. Her fellow racers were quick to join her in celebration.

Schoenmaker had come up short in her first race of Tokyo 2020 after American Lydia Jacoby pulled off a stunning come-from-behind win in the 100-meter breaststroke.

In the 200m on Thursday, Schoenmaker slammed the door shut on any late charger attempting to catch her in the water, and swam the fastest race in history in the process.

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