If one word could describe Regan Smith’s Parisian stint, it would be remarkable. The 22-year-old stunned the world by setting a new world record of 57.13s at the U.S. Olympic trials. On the other hand, crowds at the París La Défense Arena watched her surge past competitors, snagging five shiny Olympic medals as her own. While the dust settles on her escapades in the French capital, she has been turning heads in the ongoing 2024 World Aquatic Swimming World Cup. 

But while watching her in the pool has been as exhilarating as ever, she isn’t ready to back down just yet. While the Olympian looked to make a splash during the competition, she came across a minor bump. By the end of the first leg in Shanghai, her compatriot Kate Douglass sat atop the table with 59.1 points. What about the 22-year-old, you ask? She trailed behind in second place, with a difference of 0.1 points. However, has that added more fuel to their rivalry?

Regan Smith pulls the curtain back on how she feels about Kate Douglass

Bouncing back from the minor bump in Shanghai, Regan Smith returned stronger than ever and surged past her compatriot by the end of the Incheon stop. The 22-year-old boasts 118.4 points, while Douglass is trailing behind with 118.3 in second place. The Olympian was asked how she felt about it, and she kept it pretty simple. “I think if I focus on it, it will take the fun away, and that’s what it really is about right now,” she confessed. 

The duo also got to revel in glory at the Paris Olympics. While Douglass clinched gold in the 200m breaststroke, Smith snagged a win and broke a U.S. world record with a 4x100m women’s medley. The swimmers are more than just friends, and she reiterated that. “Kate and I are neck and neck in the World Cup rankings. She is my best friend, and the last thing both of us want is to be concerned with the points system,” the Olympian exclaimed. 

Throughout their stints in Shanghai and Incheon, the swimmers have consistently shown that they have their sights set on the prize. But that doesn’t sour things between them. “We are both here for the fun of it and supporting each other. We make each other better for sure,” Regan Smith added. Yes, competition makes everything fun, but if either of them snags a win, they can’t help but be happy for each other. 

After Douglass’ impressive win in the 200m individual medley, she still wasn’t happy with her performance. “That was definitely not my best race. I was feeling good; I was slow, like I was swimming through mud. I was considering scratching it today just because I didn’t want to swim it. I gave it my all, and I am proud of my effort.” Through it all, we’re sure the 22-year-old is by her side. But how did she fare during the competition?

The Olympian made a slow rise to the top

Regan Smith started her bid for the prize in the 50m backstroke event. Locking heads with her longtime rival Kaylee McKeown, the American trailed behind the Aussie throughout the race. McKeown clinched gold with a new World Cup and Oceanian record of 25.36s. On the other hand, the 22-year-old settled for second place with a lifetime best of 25.70s. With this, the duo made it into the sub-26-second club, but this wasn’t her only event of the night.

Not even 10 minutes after her first final, the Olympian returned to the pool. She didn’t have the quickest start, but that wasn’t enough to keep her away from another win. The 22-year-old touched the wall in 2:01.85 and snagged another gold for herself. Things got better on day 2 when the swimmer crushed her competition in the 100m backstroke with a World Cup record time of 54.89s. With this, she became the second-ever American to dip under the 55-second barrier.

Set to contest in 2 events on day 3 in Shanghai, Regan Smith decided to opt out of the 100m butterfly event at the last minute. She shifted her focus to shatter Kaylee McKeown’s world record in the 200m backstroke. While she didn’t manage to shatter it, the Olympian clinched another gold with 2:00.42 on the clock. She was now the 3rd-quickest American. After settling for the #2 spot on the table, the 22-year-old moved on to Incheon with renewed vigor. 

At Incheon, she began her bid in the 50m backstroke final again. Even though she didn’t have the strongest start, she surged past her competitors and touched the wall in 25.71s, .01 off her second-place finish in Shanghai. However, the 22-year-old missed out on gold in the 200m butterfly finals by .08s. Instead, she touched the wall in 2:03.21, settling for a second-place finish. After chasing McKeown’s records this whole time, she finally shattered the first world record of day 2 in the 100m backstroke.

Regan Smith touched the wall in a lifetime best of 54.41s, shaving off .15 from the Aussie’s 54.56s set at the Australian Short Course Championships. We finally arrived on day 3, and the Olympian didn’t disappoint. In the 200m backstroke, the swimmer clocked a blistering 1:59.60s and set a new American record. Yes, the points don’t matter. But the 22-year-old has definitely shown that you can still shatter glass ceilings while having fun.