A day after winning a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke, Lakeville’s Regan Smith was back in the pool at the Paris Olympics in heats of the 200 butterfly.
Lakeville’s Regan Smith swims second-fastest time in 200 butterfly semifinals
Regan Smith, a silver medalist on Tuesday, was back in action at the Paris Olympics in heats of the 200 butterfly.
Swimming against one of her chief rivals, Summer McIntosh of Canada, in the semifinals, Smith recorded the second-fastest time heading into Thursday’s final at 2:05.39, .52 behind McIntosh.
Smith briefly pulled ahead at the final turn, but McIntosh touched the wall first. Zhang Yufei, the defending Olympic champion, was third in 2:06.09. Zhang won a bronze medal in the 100 butterfly this week.
Smith finished second to Zhang in the 200 butterfly in Tokyo three years ago.
McIntosh, the 17-year-old phenom, has already won a gold medal in the 400 individual medley and a silver in the 400 freestyle in these Olympics.
The 200 butterfly final is Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Central time. Smith also has a preliminary heat in the 200 backstroke, one in the morning (USA, 4:08 a.m.) and a likely semifinal later (NBC, 2:19 p.m.).
Minnesotans Josie Aslakson, Abby Bauleke and Rose Hollermann won silver medals three years after taking bronze in Tokyo.