Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Regan Smith Sets World Record in 100 Backstroke at U.S. Olympic Trials
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 months ago on
June 19, 2024

Regan Smith reacts after winning the Women's 100 backstroke finals in world record time, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at the U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. (AP/Darron Cummings)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

INDIANAPOLIS — This world record was five years in the making for Regan Smith.

What an up-and-down journey it’s been.

Bouncing back from a close-but-no-Olympics call 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 in 57.13 seconds, easily beating the mark of 57.33 set a year ago by Australia’s Kaylee McKeown.

Smith was just 17 years old when she first set a world record in the 100 back at the 2019 world championships. But she struggled to deal with the sudden, newfound fame, ceding dominance in the event to McKeown.

“A long time coming,” Smith said. “It’s about time.”

Overcoming Mental Hurdles

There was never any doubt about Smith’s talent, but a lack of confidence was almost crippling at times.

She’s been working with a sports psychologist since October, which helped turn things around from mental standpoint. 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 had not done much. There was no pressure on me. I was always the youngest. No one expected much from me. I could go into it fearless.”

Once she tasted success, it was hard to get back on top. She made the U.S. team for the Tokyo Olympics, but finished third in the backstroke as McKeown took the gold.

“I’ve always had it physically, but I didn’t have it mentally,” Smith conceded. “I just didn’t have it up here,” pointing toward her head.

Triumph at the Trials

Showing how much her confidence has grown, Smith bounced back emphatically after getting edged for a spot on the U.S. team in the 100 butterfly, where she finished third behind Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske.

Flipping to her back, Smith 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 U.S. with a time of 57.91.

In the night’s other final, Bobby Finke earned the right to defend the 800 freestyle gold he won in Tokyo with a time of 7 minutes, 44.22 seconds.

Finke had to work hard to get to the wall ahead of 18-year-old Indiana phenom Luke Whitlock, who set a national age-group record at 7:45.19 and will likely head to his first Olympics with the second U.S. spot.

No one else was within 4 seconds of the top two.

“I find I need pressure to do well, at least in my eyes,” Finke said. “So I feel like the more pressure I feel, then the more likely I am to do well. Happy with the time we got.”

Young Talent Emerges

Whitlock splashed the water emphatically after going virtually stroke-for-stroke with the reigning Olympic champion, who swept the 800 and 1,500 free in Tokyo.

He is expected to become the youngest male swimmer to make the U.S. team since that guy named Phelps, who was 15 when he qualified for his first Olympics in Sydney in 2000.

“It’s really just over the last, especially the last two months, my training has really picked up and now just talking to my coach, we just had a really good plan,” Whitlock said. “We kind of got everything planned out like a month and a half before this and I was just really confident with the work I’ve been putting in, so I knew I could execute it.”

Stars Make Their Debut

Two of America’s biggest swimming stars, Caeleb Dressel and Simone Manuel, had impressive debuts at the trials, though there’s still work to do to make it back to the Olympics.

Dressel was the third-fastest qualifier in the preliminaries and semifinals of the men’s 100 freestyle, both times finishing behind Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano. The tattooed Floridian will have to beat at least one of them in the final Wednesday night to earn a chance to defend his Olympic title in that event.

Manuel was the fastest qualifier in the women’s 100 free preliminaries and took the second spot behind Torri Huske in the semifinals.

Dressel and Manuel are both coming back from long layoffs that cast doubts over whether they’d be able to qualify for Paris.

The winner of five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, Dressel mysteriously walked away in the midst of the 2022 world championships, later revealing he needed an extended break to rekindle his love for the sport.

Manuel, the first Black female swimmer to capture an individual gold medal, was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome ahead of the last Olympics. She barely managed to qualify for the U.S. team, then shut down all physical activity under a doctor’s care to allow her body to recover.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Ejected From Car Dies Off McKinley Avenue

DON'T MISS

‘Leave It the Way It Is’: Off-Roaders, Hikers React to Proposal to Change 1.4M Acres of Sierra Forest

DON'T MISS

Yankees Retain Cole, Add $36 Million Extension to Keep Ace

DON'T MISS

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

DON'T MISS

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

DON'T MISS

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

DON'T MISS

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

DON'T MISS

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Ejected From Car Dies Off McKinley Avenue

UP NEXT

‘Leave It the Way It Is’: Off-Roaders, Hikers React to Proposal to Change 1.4M Acres of Sierra Forest

UP NEXT

Yankees Retain Cole, Add $36 Million Extension to Keep Ace

UP NEXT

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

UP NEXT

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

UP NEXT

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

UP NEXT

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

UP NEXT

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

UP NEXT

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

Yankees Retain Cole, Add $36 Million Extension to Keep Ace

3 hours ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

4 hours ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

4 hours ago

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

4 hours ago

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

4 hours ago

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

4 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

5 hours ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

5 hours ago

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

6 hours ago

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

6 hours ago

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

A driver suspected of being under the influence crashed into a California Highway Patrol car early Sunday, officials said. Officers were inv...

53 mins ago

A driver suspected of DUI crashed into a parked California Highway Patrol car at a fatal crash scene in Fresno County, sustaining minor injuries and later being cited. (Fresno County SO)
53 mins ago

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

fresno
1 hour ago

Fresno Man Ejected From Car Dies Off McKinley Avenue

2 hours ago

‘Leave It the Way It Is’: Off-Roaders, Hikers React to Proposal to Change 1.4M Acres of Sierra Forest

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP/Ashley Landis)
3 hours ago

Yankees Retain Cole, Add $36 Million Extension to Keep Ace

Voters cast their ballots at Desert Breeze Community Center in Las Vegas during the last day of in-person early voting in Nevada on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Nearly 75 million people have cast early ballots, making their voices heard amid worry about the process, the outcome and democracy itself. (Bridget Bennett/The New York Times)
4 hours ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

4 hours ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

4 hours ago

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

4 hours ago

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

Search

Send this to a friend