Regan Smith (swimmer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Regan Smith

Smith in 2018
Personal information
Nickname(s)	"Riptide Rocket"
Born	(2002-02-09) February 9, 2002 (age 23) Lakeville, Minnesota, U.S.
Height	5 ft 7 in
Weight	123 lb
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Backstroke, butterfly
College team	Stanford
Coach	Bob Bowman
Medal record Women's swimming Representing the  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 5 1 World Championships (LC) 5 3 1 World Championships (SC) 4 2 1 Pan Pacific Championships 0 0 1 World Junior Championships 2 2 0 Olympic Games Gold 2024 Paris 4×100 m medley Gold 2024 Paris 4×100 m mixed medley Silver 2020 Tokyo 200 m butterfly Silver 2020 Tokyo 4×100 m medley Silver 2024 Paris 100 m backstroke Silver 2024 Paris 200 m backstroke Silver 2024 Paris 200 m butterfly Bronze 2020 Tokyo 100 m backstroke World Championships (LC) Gold 2019 Gwangju 200 m backstroke Gold 2019 Gwangju 4×100 m medley Gold 2022 Budapest 100 m backstroke Gold 2022 Budapest 4×100 m medley Gold 2023 Fukuoka 4×100 m medley Silver 2023 Fukuoka 50 m backstroke Silver 2023 Fukuoka 100 m backstroke Silver 2023 Fukuoka 200 m backstroke Bronze 2023 Fukuoka 200 m butterfly World Championships (SC) Gold 2024 Budapest 50 m backstroke Gold 2024 Budapest 100 m backstroke Gold 2024 Budapest 200 m backstroke Gold 2024 Budapest 4×100 m medley Silver 2024 Budapest 200 m butterfly Silver 2024 Budapest 4×100 m mixed medley Bronze 2024 Budapest 4×50 m mixed medley Pan Pacific Championships Bronze 2018 Tokyo 200 m backstroke World Junior Championships Gold 2017 Indianapolis 100 m backstroke Gold 2017 Indianapolis 200 m backstroke Silver 2017 Indianapolis 4×100 m medley Silver 2017 Indianapolis 4×100 m mixed medley

Regan Elisabeth Smith (born February 9, 2002) is an American swimmer. She is known for her skills in backstroke and butterfly swimming.

Regan was considered one of the best young swimmers in the USA. She became famous at the 2019 World Championships, where she won two gold medals. At the 2020 Olympic Games (held in 2021), she earned three medals. She continued her success with two gold medals at the 2022 World Championships. In 2023, she won five medals, including one gold. At the 2024 Olympic Games, Regan won five more medals, with two of them being gold. She also won seven medals, including four golds, at the 2024 Short Course World Championships.

Regan Smith holds the world record in the 100-meter backstroke (long course). She also holds world records in the 50-meter, 100-meter, and 200-meter backstroke events (short course).

Regan's Swimming Journey

Starting Out as a Swimmer

Regan Smith began swimming lessons in 2007. By age 12, she was already setting new records for her age group. She also won medals at high school swimming meets. After these early wins, she joined the Riptide Swim Club. There, she was coached by Mike Parratto. He was famous for coaching Jenny Thompson, an Olympic medalist.

When Regan was 14, she competed against famous Olympians. These included swimmers like Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky. In 2016, she joined the U.S. national junior team. She set national age group records in several backstroke and butterfly events. She was named the best age group swimmer for 13–14 year-olds in 2016.

First Big Competitions (2017-2018)

In July 2017, Regan competed in her first major international event. This was the 2017 World Championships. She reached the final in the 200-meter backstroke and finished eighth.

Later in 2017, she won gold medals at the World Junior Championships. She won the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke events. In the 100-meter final, she broke a national age group record and a world junior record. She also won two silver medals in relay races.

In 2018, Regan set a new world junior record in the 200-meter backstroke. She tied for first place at the U.S. National Championships. In August 2018, she won her first senior international medal. This was a bronze in the 200-meter backstroke at the Pan Pacific Championships.

Breaking World Records (2019)

At the 2019 World Championships in South Korea, Regan made a big splash. She competed in the 200-meter backstroke. In the semifinals, she broke the world record with a time of 2:03.35. This record had stood since 2012. The next day, she won her first World Championship gold medal.

Regan also helped the U.S. team win gold in the 4×100-meter medley relay. The team set a new world record of 3:50.40. As the first swimmer in the relay, Regan's 100-meter backstroke split time of 57.57 seconds also broke the individual 100-meter backstroke world record.

For her amazing achievements in 2019, Regan was named the World Swimmer of the Year.

Olympic Dreams and Medals (2020-2021)

In 2020, Regan graduated from high school. She continued to compete, even during the unusual year.

In June 2021, Regan qualified for the U.S. Olympic team. She won the 100-meter backstroke final at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She also qualified for the 200-meter butterfly.

At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo (held in 2021), Regan won her first Olympic medal. She earned a bronze in the 100-meter backstroke. She also won a silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly. On the last day of swimming, she helped the U.S. team win a silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay.

College and Professional Career (2021-2022)

Regan started swimming for Stanford University in late 2021. She won several events in her first college meets. She also won all three events she entered at the 2021 U.S. Open Championships.

In 2022, Regan continued to excel in college swimming. She won her first individual NCAA title in the 200-yard backstroke. After the college season, Regan decided to become a professional swimmer. She started training with coach Bob Bowman at Arizona State University. She felt this change would help her prepare for the 2024 Olympics.

At the 2022 World Championships in Hungary, Regan won a gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke. She also helped the U.S. win gold in the 4×100-meter medley relay.

Continued Success (2023)

In 2023, Regan kept setting new personal bests. At the 2023 Sun Devil Open, she swam a personal best in the 200-meter butterfly. This time also broke the American record.

At the 2023 World Championships in Japan, Regan won five medals. She earned silver medals in the 50-meter, 100-meter, and 200-meter backstroke events. She also won a bronze in the 200-meter butterfly. For her final race, she helped the U.S. team win a gold medal in the 4×100 medley relay.

Olympic Glory and More Records (2024)

At the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, Regan won the 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter backstroke, and 200-meter butterfly. She also broke the world record in the 100-meter backstroke.

At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Regan won three silver medals. These were in the 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter backstroke, and 200-meter butterfly. She also earned her first Olympic gold medal by swimming in the heats of the 4×100 mixed medley relay. Later, she helped the U.S. team win another gold in the 4×100 medley relay final.

After the Olympics, Regan competed in the 2024 World Cup series. She won nine events and broke short course world records in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke.

At the 2024 Short Course World Championships in December, Regan won four gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal. She set new personal bests in four events. She broke the world record in the 50-meter backstroke and her own world record in the 200-meter backstroke. She also broke her own individual world record in the 100-meter backstroke while helping the U.S. win gold in the 4×100 medley relay.

International Championships

Meet	50 backstroke	100 backstroke	200 backstroke	200 butterfly	4×100 medley	4×100 mixed medley
WC 2017			8th
WC 2019
OG 2021	N/A					5th
WC 2022	5th			4th
WC 2023
OG 2024	N/A

Smith swam only in the preliminaries.

Regan's Best Times

Long Course (50-meter pool)

Short Course (25-meter pool)

World Records Held by Regan

Long Course (50-meter pool)

Short Course (25-meter pool)

Awards and Honors

• SwimSwam Swammy Award, Junior Swimmer of the Year (female): 2019
• SwimSwam Swammy Award, Age Group Swimmer of the Year 17—18 (female): 2019, 2020
• SwimSwam Swammy Award, Age Group Swimmer of the Year 15—16 (female): 2017, 2018
• SwimSwam Swammy Award, Age Group Swimmer of the Year 13—14 (female): 2016
• Golden Goggle Award, Breakout Performer of the Year: 2019
• Golden Goggle Award, Female Race of the Year: 2019
• Golden Goggle Award, Relay Performance of the Year: 2019
• Swimming World, World Swimmer of the Year (female): 2019
• Swimming World, American Swimmer of the Year (female): 2019
• SwimSwam Swammy Award, Swimmer of the Year (female): 2019
• SwimSwam Top 100 (Women's): 2021 (#2), 2022 (#11)
• Pac-12 Conference, Swimmer of the Year (women's): 2022
• Pac-12 Conference, Freshman of the Year (women's): 2022
• Pac-12 Conference, Swimmer of the Week (women's): January 26, 2022, February 2, 2022
• Golden Goggle Awards, Relay Performance of the Year: 2024

See also

In Spanish: Regan Smith (nadadora) para niños