Lakeville's Regan Smith wins 100-meter backstroke to qualify for Tokyo Olympics

OMAHA – She could see the water flying, splashing wildly to her left and her right. With her rivals closing in, and the women's 100-meter backstroke coming down to the final push, Regan Smith cleansed her mind of every thought except one.

"I knew it was going to be a close race," she said. "Down the stretch, it was just, 'Gosh. Just get your hand on the wall.' "

When she did, Smith felt a surge of relief. At the Olympic trials, in the most pressure-packed swim of her life, Smith touched first Tuesday to earn a place on the U.S. team for the Tokyo Olympics. Though her time of 58.35 seconds wasn't her fastest, it was enough to nip Rhyan White by .25 of a second at CHI Health Center in a race in which only .47 of a second separated first from fourth.

Smith, of Lakeville, joined breaststroke specialist Lilly King, fellow backstroker Ryan Murphy and the top four finishers in the men's 200 freestyle as freshly minted Olympians on Day 3 of the trials. After reaching the wall, she put her hand to her mouth, looked up at the giant video screen above the pool and appeared on the verge of tears.

She had swum in this same pool five years ago, an awe-struck 14-year-old in her first Olympic trials dreaming of what could be. At the end of the week, Smith will return to Minnesota as a 19-year-old Olympian, a title that didn't seem quite real two hours after the race.

"I am very relieved," Smith said. "It's hard to put into words.

"I'm very happy with how it played out. There were a ton of emotions after the race, and there still are, honestly. I'm still trying to process everything, but it's very special."

The women's 100 back was one of the most anticipated races at the trials, featuring five of the six fastest Americans in the event's history. White finished in 58.60, with 2016 Olympian Olivia Smoliga third in 58.72 and Katharine Berkoff fourth in 58.82. Isabelle Stadden of Blaine placed fifth in a time of 59.37.

As the American record holder in the 100 back — and the world-record holder until last Sunday, when Kaylee McKeown of Australia took that title — Smith was at the head of that group. At the Olympic trials, she solidified her status by swimming the fastest time in the preliminaries, semifinals and finals.

Her semifinal time of 57.92 on Monday was a U.S. open record. It marked the first time she had gone under the 58-second mark since her world record, set at the 2019 world championships, and gave Smith a shot of confidence going into Tuesday's final.

But the pressure still was there. The pandemic wrecked the four-year blueprint Smith and coach Mike Parratto had constructed toward the 2020 Olympics, forcing her into another year of waiting and training. Her world records in the 100 and 200 back, and the two world championships medals she won in 2019, seemed very distant as the Olympic trials drew closer.

"It was difficult, but Regan is very even-tempered," Parratto said. "COVID got in the way. But she understood what she needed to do."

Tuesday, Smith put herself into a bubble as much as she could. She gave herself a pep talk as she walked out to the pool, as she always does.

Unable to harness her adrenaline, Smith swam a very fast time in the first 50 meters and led at the turn in a time of 27.90 seconds. In the final 50, she said she was "very aware" of how close other swimmers were, and she wasn't sure she would hang on. White said she swam so hard she felt like her legs would fall off.

When Smith got to the wall, her father, Paul, and others in a large group of family and friends rejoiced in the stands.

"So much work, stress, expectation, put to bed in 58 seconds," Paul Smith said. "I'm so proud of her, and happy for her."

Smith is the third consecutive Minnesotan to make the U.S. Olympic team in the backstroke, following former Gopher David Plummer in 2016 and Rachel Bootsma of Eden Prairie in 2012. At a medal ceremony 20 minutes after the race, Smith said her heart was still pounding.

She could feel it as she stood on a platform, above a group of taiko drummers beating out their own celebratory rhythms. Then, she heard the words she had dreamed about for years: Regan Smith, Olympian.

"It feels amazing," she said. "I've been waiting for this for a long time."