This world record was five years in the making for Regan Smith.
What an up and down journey it has been.
Returning from a near but not Olympic call-up in her first race, Smith set a world record in the women’s 100-meter backstroke at the U.S. Swimming Trials on Tuesday night.
The 22-year-old Minnesota native touched the ball in 57.13 seconds, easily beating Australian Kaylee McKeown’s mark of 57.33 from a year ago.
Smith was just 17 years old when she set her first world record in the 100 at the 2019 world championships. But she struggled to cope with the sudden newfound fame and ceding dominance in the event to McKeown.
“It’s going to be a long time,” Smith said. “It’s about time.”
There was never any doubt about Smith’s talent, but a lack of confidence was almost crippling at times.
She has been working with a sports psychologist since October, which has helped turn things around from a mental perspective. Her coach, Bob Bowman, best known for his work with 23-time gold medalist Michael Phelps, took care of the physical side with a grueling training regimen.
“This is incredibly rewarding,” Smith said. “When I was a teenager, I hadn’t done much. There was no pressure on me. I was always the youngest. No one expected much from me. I could go into it without fear.”
Michael Conroy/AP
Once she tasted success, it was hard to get back on track. She was on the U.S. team for the Tokyo Olympics, but finished third in the backstroke when McKeown took the gold.
“Physically I’ve always had it, but not mentally,” Smith admitted. “I just didn’t have it here,” pointing to her head.
Smith showed how much her confidence has grown and bounced back emphatically after securing a spot on the US team in the 100 butterfly, where she finished third behind Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske.
Smith turned onto her back and set the second world record of the trials, following Walsh’s mark in the semifinals of the 100 fly.
Katharine Berkoff claimed the second expected Olympic spot for the US with a time of 57.91.
Simone Manuel was the fastest qualifier in the women’s 100 free preliminaries and took second place behind Torri Huske in the semifinals.
Manuel is returning from a long break that cast doubt on whether she could qualify for Paris.
Manuel, the first black female swimmer to win an individual gold medal, was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome ahead of the last Olympics. She barely managed to qualify for the US team and subsequently stopped all physical activities under a doctor’s supervision to allow her body to recover.
