Regan Smith (swimmer)

Regan Smith (born February 9, 2002) is an American swimmer. She is the current world record holder of both the women's 100- and 200-meter backstroke (long course). She has a third world record as a part of the USA women’s 4 x 100 Medley Relay.

Regan Smith
Smith in 2018
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (2002-02-09) February 9, 2002
Lakeville, Minnesota, United States[1]
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke, butterfly, freestyle
College teamStanford
Medal record
World Championships (LC)
2019 Gwangju200 m backstroke
2019 Gwangju4×100 m medley
Pan Pacific Championships
2018 Tokyo 200 m backstroke
World Junior Championships
2017 Indianapolis 100 m backstroke
2017 Indianapolis 200 m backstroke
2017 Indianapolis 4×100 m mixed medley
U.S. Open
2019 Atlanta 100 m backstroke

Career

When Smith was twelve, she achieved multiple new age-group records and won medals at high school state meets. Following these successes, she joined the Apple Valley’s Riptide Swim Club and began to receive coaching from Mike Parratto, known for coaching Jenny Thompson, a famous swimmer who has won twelve Olympic medals.[2]

While she was fourteen, Smith competed at meets with Olympians such as Missy Franklin (at the time the world record holder for the 200 m backstroke)[3] and Katie Ledecky (the world record holder for the 400 m freestyle, 800 m freestyle, and 1500 m freestyle).[3] In 2016 she became a member of the U.S. National Junior Team and set national age group records in the 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard butterfly, and 100-meter backstroke. She was named the 2016 Age Group Swimmer of the Year for 13–14 year-olds.

In July 2017, at age fifteen, Smith competed in her first major international meet at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships. She qualified for the women's 200 meter backstroke event final and finished 8th.[4][5] In August, Smith won gold medals in the 100 m backstroke and the 200 m backstroke at the 2017 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships. In the 100 m finals she broke Missy Franklin's 15-16 national age group record, as well as the world junior record, previously set by Taylor Ruck in the semis.[6] She was awarded the 2017 National Age Group Swimmer of the Year for 15–16 year-olds.[7]

The following year Smith won her first senior international medal by taking bronze in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Tokyo.[8] At the 2018 USA Swimming Championships, Smith set a new world junior record when she and Kathleen Baker (at the time the world record holder for the 100 m backstroke) tied for first in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:06.43. Smith also finished third in both the 100 m backstroke and 200 m butterfly.[8] She wrapped up 2018 by earning the title of Age Group Swimmer of the Year for the third time of her career and for the second time consecutively in the age group (15–16 year-olds).[9]

2019 World Championships

At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Smith competed in one individual event, the 200-meter backstroke. In the heats and semifinals, Smith asserted herself as the favorite. In the heats, Smith recorded a time of 2:06.01, breaking her own junior record.[10]

In the semifinals, Smith surged away from the rest of the field and opened up a lead of two body lengths by the last 25 meters. Smith touched the wall with a time of 2:03.35, shattering Missy Franklin's world record of 2:04.06 that had stood since 2012.[11]

The next day in the final, Smith won her first World Championship title, claiming gold by a margin of more than two and a half seconds. She was well under her world record pace with a 100 m split of 59.45 at the halfway point (a time that would have placed 6th in the 100 m backstroke final held earlier).[12] Smith's pace fell off at the end, but she still managed the second fastest women's 200 m backstroke ever with a time of 2:03.69.[13][12]

Despite not qualifying for an individual spot in the 100-meter backstroke,[14] Smith was chosen as the backstroke leg for Team USA in the 4x100-meter medley relay final. Smith won gold along with Lilly King, Kelsi Dahlia, and Simone Manuel with a world-record time of 3:50.40 to break the previous mark of 3:51.55 set in 2017.[15] As the lead-off leg, Smith's split time was eligible for an official world record. Her lead-off split of 57.57 broke Kathleen Baker's 100-meter backstroke world record of 58.00.[16]

Smith was awarded 2019 American Swimmer of the Year and World Swimmer of the Year for her achievements in 2019. She was also named 2019 National Age Group Swimmer of the Year (17–18 year-olds), her fourth such award of her career.[17]

References
  1. "Regan Smith". SwimSwam. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  2. Magarey, Mary (2004), "Bilateral shoulder pain in a 16-year-old long-distance swimmer", Clinical Reasoning for Manual Therapists, Elsevier, pp. 161–179, doi:10.1016/b978-0-7506-3906-4.50016-2, ISBN 9780750639064
  3. Jorgensen, Rikke Frank (2013). "Appendix C: List of interviewees (Wikipedia)". Framing the Net: 227. doi:10.4337/9781782540809.00022. ISBN 9781782540809.
  4. "Heats results". FINA. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  5. "2017 World Aquatics Championships > Search via Athletes". Budapest 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  6. "Regan Smith downs WJR, Missy Franklin's 15-16 NAG record in 100 back". Swimswam. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  7. "2017 Swammy Awards". SwimSwam. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  8. "Regan Smith - National Team Bios". USA Swimming. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  9. "2018 Swammy Awards". SwimSwam. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  10. "2019 Worlds heats" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  11. "2019 Worlds semis" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  12. "Regan Smith Swims 2nd Fastest 200 BK". Swimswam. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  13. "2019 Worlds final" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  14. "2018 National Championships" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  15. "2019 medley relay final" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  16. "2019 Worlds final" (PDF). FINA. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  17. "2019 Swammy Awards". SwimSwam. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
Records
Preceded by

Missy Franklin		 Women's 200-meter backstroke
world record-holder (long course)
July 26, 2019 – present		 Succeeded by

Incumbent
Preceded by

Kathleen Baker		 Women's 100-meter backstroke
world record-holder (long course)
July 28, 2019 – present		 Succeeded by

Incumbent
Awards
Preceded by
Katie Ledecky		 Swimming World
World Swimmer of the Year
2019		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Katie Ledecky		 American Swimmer of the Year
2019		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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