Leaving ASU To Possibly Join Bob Bowman, Regan Smith Opens Up on How Michael Phelps’ Harsh Coach Helped Her Tackle Mental Health Issues

One can not forget Michael Phelps’ revelation of his coach Bob Bowman’s toughness in training. Phelps said that Bowman intentionally broke his swim goggles so that he could remain unfazed when such a situation arose. Understandably, such out-of-the-box concepts have produced several famed swimmers from Bowman’s arsenal. Regan Smith is also one who is highly influenced by the legendary coach. As Bowman makes a shocking move to Texas from ASU, Smith is expected to stick to him. And there are obvious reasons for that, as she revealed lately. 

In a recent interview, Regan Smith opened up about the multifaceted challenges faced by athletes as they navigate the pursuit of excellence. Alongside, Smith came out clean about how Bowman’s training methods helped her overcome mental health issues.

Regan Smith hails Bob Bowman’s ‘plain and simple’ coaching

Recently in an interview on the Unfiltered Waters Podcast, Regan Smith opened up about her anxiety before and during races and said, “Ever since I broke the world records I immediately felt the pressure on my shoulder where you just feel everybody’s expecting x, y, z from you”. But now there has been a shift in her mindset. She said that now she “…don’t mind meeting anybody’s expectations but my own and I know what I’m capable of and I’m not afraid”. It seems that there has been some precise contribution of Bowman in this. 

After just one collegiate season at Stanford, Smith moved to Tempe, Arizona, to train with renowned coach Bob Bowman. She said, “Bob is just great at giving us the work like it’s cut and dry. It’s plain and simple.” Following his methods, Smith started to see the results. She said, “I’m just seeing a lot of results so it’s just been a combination of all of those things that have just transformed me as a swimmer and a person”. This transformation has seen Regan excelling in the waters very recently and she made no bones about it.

A beacon of resilience and mental health advocacy

Regan Smith won three individual events in the 2023 US National Championships in Indianapolis. After the win, she shed light on the mental health challenges she faced during the pandemic. She said during the pandemic, her mentality toward swimming took a turn for the worse.

But she could not speak about that with the fear of being seen as weak. But she feels that now her perception of competition has changed. “It’s not life or death…it’s just…a sport,” she can say with a smile. This has led to another realization that goes beyond medals and wins.

“With swimming, I just haven’t felt true happiness like I have these past nine months since… pre-Covid…I would just say that I’m happy,” “I think that’s the biggest thing,” Regan said. This newfound happiness is sure to do more wonders for the swimmer in coming days.

Read More: Fighting Back From Illness, Regan Smith Announces Dive in the Pool for TYR Pro Series 2024