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 Smith, born on February 9, 2002, is an American swimmer. She is really good at backstroke and butterfly swimming. Even as a teenager, many thought Regan was the best young swimmer in America. She became famous worldwide at the 2019 World Championships, winning two gold medals. She continued to shine at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games, winning many medals. She also won several gold medals at the World Championships in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Regan holds world records in several backstroke events. She is currently the world record holder for the 100-meter backstroke in a long pool. She also holds world records in short pool events like the 50-meter, 100-meter, and 200-meter backstroke.

Regan Smith's Swimming Journey

Starting Her Swim Career

Regan Smith began swimming lessons in 2007. When she was 12, she broke many age-group records. She also won medals at high school swim meets. After these wins, she joined the Riptide Swim Club. There, she trained with coach Mike Parratto. He was known for coaching Jenny Thompson, a 12-time Olympic medalist.

By age 14, Regan was competing with Olympians. These included famous swimmers like Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky. She even competed at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. In 2016, she joined the U.S. national junior team. She set national age group records in different backstroke and butterfly races. She was named the 2016 Age Group Swimmer of the Year. This award was for swimmers aged 13–14.

2017: First International Meets

In July 2017, Regan swam in her first big international competition. This was the 2017 World Championships. She made it to the final of the 200-meter backstroke event. She finished in eighth place.

In August, Regan won gold medals at the 2017 World Junior Championships. She won the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter backstroke. In the 100-meter final, she broke a record set by Missy Franklin. She also broke the world junior record. Regan also won silver medals in two relay races. She was named the 2017 National Age Group Swimmer of the Year. This time, it was for swimmers aged 15–16.

2018: More Records and Medals

At the 2018 U.S. National Championships in July, Regan set a new world junior record. She tied for first place in the 200-meter backstroke. Her time was 2:06.43. She also finished third in the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter butterfly.

In August 2018, Regan won her first medal at a senior international event. She earned a bronze medal in the 200-meter backstroke. This was at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships. She ended 2018 by winning the Age Group Swimmer of the Year award again. This was her third time winning this award.

2019: Breaking World Records

At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in South Korea, Regan swam in the 200-meter backstroke. In the first races, she showed she was the one to beat. She broke her own world junior record. In the semifinals, she swam even faster. She finished with a time of 2:03.35. This broke Missy Franklin's world record from 2012.

The next day, Regan won her first World Championship gold medal. She finished more than two and a half seconds ahead of others. She was very close to her world record pace. She finished with the second-fastest 200-meter backstroke time ever.

Regan was also part of the 4×100-meter medley relay team for the United States. She swam the backstroke part. Her team won a gold medal and set a new world record. Their time was 3:50.40. Regan's first part of the relay was 57.57 seconds. This broke Kathleen Baker's 100-meter backstroke world record.

For her amazing achievements in 2019, Regan won many awards. Swimming World named her the American Swimmer of the Year and World Swimmer of the Year. She also won the SwimSwam National Age Group Swimmer of the Year award. This was her fourth time winning this award.

2020: Graduating and Competing

In 2020, Regan graduated from Lakeville North High School in Minnesota. At the 2020 U.S. Open Championships, she won gold in the 200-meter butterfly. She also won silver in the 100-meter backstroke.

2021: Olympic Debut

U.S. Olympic Trials

In June 2021, Regan competed at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials. She earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. She won the 100-meter backstroke final. In the semifinals, she set a new U.S. Open record.

Regan also qualified for the 200-meter butterfly final. She finished second in that race. This meant she would swim both events at the Olympics. In the 200-meter backstroke final, she finished third. This meant she did not qualify for that event at the Olympics.

Tokyo Olympic Games

At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Regan competed in the 100-meter backstroke. In the first races, she set a new Olympic record. However, Kaylee McKeown broke it shortly after. Regan set the Olympic record again in the semifinals. She advanced to the final ranked first. In the final, she won the bronze medal. This was her very first Olympic medal.

Regan also swam in the 200-meter butterfly. She qualified for the semifinals and then the final. She won a silver medal in the final of the 200-meter butterfly. On the last day of swimming, Regan was part of the 4×100-meter medley relay team. The U.S. team won the silver medal. They finished very close behind Australia.

College Swimming and U.S. Open

Regan started swimming for Stanford University in the fall of 2021. In her first college meet, she won two individual events. She also helped her team win a relay. At the 2021 U.S. Open Championships, she won all three events she entered. These were the 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter backstroke, and 200-meter butterfly. She even set a new championship record in the 200-meter backstroke.

2022: NCAA Champion and Professional

College Championships

Regan had a great time at the Pac-12 Conference Championships. She won two relays on the first day. On the third day, she won the 100-yard backstroke. She set a new Pac-12 Conference record. She also helped her team win the 4×100-yard medley relay. On the final day, she won the 200-yard butterfly. She also helped win the 4×100-yard freestyle relay.

At the 2022 NCAA Championships, Regan won her first individual NCAA title. She won the 200-yard backstroke. She finished more than 1.5 seconds ahead of the second-place swimmer. She also placed third in the 100-yard backstroke and a relay.

After the college season, Regan left Stanford University. She decided to become a professional swimmer. She started training with coach Bob Bowman. She felt this change would help her train harder. She said it would get her ready for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

World Championships

At the 2022 USA Swimming International Team Trials, Regan qualified for the 2022 World Aquatics Championships. She would swim in three individual events.

At the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Regan won a gold medal. This was in the 100-meter backstroke. She finished just a little bit ahead of Kylie Masse. Two days later, she finished fourth in the 200-meter butterfly. She also tied for fifth in the 50-meter backstroke. For her last event, she helped the U.S. team win gold in the 4×100-meter medley relay.

U.S. Open Championships

At the 2022 U.S. Open Swimming Championships, Regan set a personal best time. She won gold in the 200-meter individual medley. The next day, she won her second gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly. For her third gold, she won the 100-meter backstroke. She set a new championship record. On the final day, Regan won gold in the 200-meter backstroke. She set another championship record. She finished the championships with a fifth gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly.

2023: American Records

TYR Pro Swim Series

In March 2023, at the TYR Pro Swim Series, Regan set two personal best times. She placed fourth in the 200-meter freestyle. She then won the 100-meter butterfly.

In April 2023, at the next TYR Pro Swim Series event, Regan won all four events she entered. She swam a time of 2:04.76 in the 200-meter backstroke. This broke the U.S. Open record.

Sun Devil Open

In June, at the 2023 Sun Devil Open, Regan swam her fastest 200-meter butterfly ever. Her time of 2:03.87 broke the American record. She was the first American woman to swim under 2:04 in this event. Her time was the fourth-fastest in history. Regan also swam her fastest 200-meter individual medley.

World Championships

At the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Regan won five medals. She won four individual medals and one relay medal. In her first final, she won a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke. The next day, she set an American record in the 50-meter backstroke semifinals.

Regan swam two events in the next finals session. She earned a bronze medal in the 200-meter butterfly. She also won a silver medal in the 50-meter backstroke. Regan earned another silver medal in the 200-meter backstroke. In the backstroke events, she finished behind Australia's Kaylee McKeown. For her last race, Regan swam the backstroke part of the 4×100 medley relay. Her team won the gold medal.

U.S. Open Championships

At the 2023 U.S. Open Championships, Regan had a great final night. She won gold in both the 200-meter backstroke and 200-meter butterfly. She broke her own championship record in the 200-meter backstroke. In the 200-meter butterfly, she beat a championship record from 1999. The night before, Regan won the 100-meter backstroke. She also set two personal best times in other events.

2024: Olympic Success and World Records

Olympic Games

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 silver medals. These were in the 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter backstroke, and 200-meter butterfly. She broke the American record in the 200-meter butterfly. She swam in the first races of the 4×100 mixed medley relay. The U.S. team won gold in the final, giving Regan her first Olympic gold medal. She then swam in the final of the 4×100 medley relay, helping the U.S. win another gold.

World Cup and Short Course Championships

Regan competed in the 2024 World Cup series. She won nine events in total. She swept all three races in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke. She also broke short course world records in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke.

At the 2024 Short Course World Championships in December, Regan competed in seven events. She won four gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal. She also set personal best times in four events.

On December 11, Regan won gold in the 100-meter backstroke. She broke the championship record. Later that night, she helped the U.S. team win bronze in a mixed relay. On December 12, Regan won silver in the 200-meter butterfly. She broke the American record. On December 13, she won gold in the 50-meter backstroke. She broke the world record in that event.

On December 14, she helped the U.S. win silver in another mixed relay. On December 15, Regan won gold in the 200-meter backstroke. She broke her own world record. Later that night, she helped the U.S. win gold in the 4×100-meter medley final. She broke her own individual world record during her part of the relay. The team also broke the event world record.

International Competitions Summary

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

Images for kids

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  Regan Smith in 2018

See also

In Spanish: Regan Smith (nadadora) para niños