The 2024 Paris Summer Games were nothing short of extraordinary for Regan Smith. After her impressive performances at the París La Défense Arena, the swimmer took home 5 Olympic medals—2 gold and 3 silver. In fact, leading up to the Games, her blistering 57.13 seconds in the 100m backstroke set a new world record at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in June. However, what motivated the 22-year-old before she made a splash in the Olympic pool? 

The swimmer spoke to SwimSwam’s Coleman Hodges in a casual sit-down interview on September 26. While looking back at her Parisian stint, the host asked her if her experience in Tokyo impacted her performance in the French capital. “My mindset going into the races, the way that I executed the races, how well I was able to perform under certain pressures. I think those are such huge wins,” the Olympian confessed. 

Regan Smith felt immense pressure leading up to the 2021 U.S. Olympic swimming trials. It was almost impossible to deal with. However, things felt different this time. “I think if I had never changed my mindset, I would be wanting to quit really badly at about now because I could just sit here and think like, ‘Why can’t I freaking win,’ you know?” The swimmer brings up her experience in the 100m butterfly at this year’s swimming trials. 

“Getting third in the 100 fly trials, for example. I think I could have so easily been crushed by that.” The swimmer clocked her best time of 55.62 at the Lucas Oil Stadium. Even though she became the fifth-fastest performer of all time, her third-place finish wasn’t good enough to contest the event in the French capital. So, how did she push past it? “Practice every day and work on my like mentality, stepping up behind the blocks, getting ready to race,” the 22-year-old explained. 

Regan Smith previously struggled with expecting herself to perform a certain way. “When you try extra hard to do something, most of the time, it blows up in your face, you know what I mean?” But she believed that working smarter than harder worked in her favor. Things clicked into place when she got mono. The Olympian added, “It helped me realize, like okay, I can have something really derail my progress, and I can still be okay.” 

The Olympian mentioned that post-mono, she competed at the TYR Pro Swim Series. She shocked the world with her phenomenal time of 2:03:99 in the 200m backstroke. “So to do that, after having mono, I was like, okay, Regan, like you are talented. Just keep working hard, and the results are going to come.” And boy, did that happen in front of a thundering roar at the París La Défense Arena. How did she fare in the French capital? 

Regan Smith’s renewed perspective helped her collect W’s in Paris

The swimmer had been going through a challenging time. For her, perfect swims that resulted in a win were all she wanted. However, when things didn’t go her way, it would eat her up on the inside. But this changed when she started training with the legendary coach, Bob Bowman. He helped her understand that focusing on variables would be far more beneficial. “It does not have to be perfect all the time. Just focus on what you can focus on and control what you can control,” the Olympian confessed. 

Regan Smith carried this mentality into the U.S. Olympic Trials and the Summer Games this year. “I just wanted to enjoy it. I truly did. I just was like, ‘You cannot be disappointed. You can be frustrated with yourself if you don’t have a performance that you want. But how can you win in ways that are within your control?'” The 22-year-old emphasized that regardless of how good she was, she could still get beat. But her mentality did help her snag a few Olympic hardware.

The swimmer led the table throughout the 100m backstroke heats and semifinals with 58.45 and 57.97 seconds. However, when she faced her rival, Kaylee McKeown, in the finals, her time of 57.66 seconds could only muster up a second-place finish. In the women’s 200m butterfly, the Olympian snagged another silver medal with a time of 2:03:84 on the clock. Her final silver medal was against McKeown again in the 200m backstroke, where the swimmer touched the wall in 2:04:26. 

Regan Smith’s first Olympic gold in Paris came after Team USA broke the world record in the mixed 4x100m medley relay in 3:37:43. While the Olympian was instrumental in helping them win in the semifinals with 3:40:98, she didn’t contest in the event’s finals. Her final medal was in the women’s 4x100m medley relay. Team USA’s time of 3:49.63 set a new world record, and the swimmer took on an early lead with 57.28 seconds. It’s amazing what a different perspective can do for you.