Terrified Over Olympics Nightmare, Regan Smith Makes Honest Admission Over Her Performance: “Disappointed in Myself”

Regan Smith’s swim through the waters of competitive swimming has been a wild one! At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Smith went on to win two gold and three silvers! She did not just win; she even had an American record in the 200 m butterfly. It sent out a clear message to the world that Regan was not that far away from the gold. However, things weren’t always roses for Regan. Not so long ago, she had a disappointing Olympic season.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were an unfortunate one for Regan Smith. It is an irreversible truth that stings her to this day. While Paris put her on the global charts, Tokyo almost got her thinking about not swimming! As Regan herself puts it, “I love Tokyo, so I don’t want to say I’m ashamed of myself because that sounds really dramatic, but I was so disappointed in myself. I didn’t enjoy my time there swimming.” So what exactly happened?

The Tokyo Olympics weren’t just another event for Regan. It was the defining chapter of her story. It all started great for Regan. She set an Olympic record in the 100 m backstroke during the prelims. But that speed fell short at the finals for 100m, and the gold medal slipped right through her fingers. Regan was eventually left with a bronze medal and a lot of what-ifs on her plate.

Imagine having spent all your life for an Olympic moment, and the moment passes right by you! That nightmare was Regan Smith’s reality in Tokyo. “What I enjoyed the most was spending time with my friends in my suite in Tokyo because I literally hated being on deck. I was terrified every time I stepped into the box to compete,” she recalled. The pressure seemed to be her nemesis, anchoring her down and making the competition almost feel like a chore. However, the season wasn’t all disappointment!

Things took a turn during the 200m butterfly! “The only race I was really proud of from that meet was the 200 fly because I had no expectations on me,” Regan added. “As we all know, it’s very easy to swim fast when no one expects anything out of you when you have no pressure, and when you have no prior achievements in that event. So I was proud of that, but I wanted to be able to do well in the event.” But despite wanting to be at the top, the gold medal seemed to elude her. But that’s all part of the journey, right?

It sure is, however, for Regan’s Tokyo performance. She is not the only one to be blamed. The pandemic had thrown her off her routine. Pool closures? Check! Olympic postponements? Double check! And let’s not forget the stress of deferring her admission to Stanford University!

Despite collegiate dreams, college was not the dream Regan expected!

Coming off the lows of Tokyo, Regan Smith was looking forward to a change. She jumped into what would be a short-lived college life. She joined Stanford University in the fall of 2021, but her dream turned out to be a reality that did not float her boat. Although she knew that her freshman year was going to be hard, Regan did not plan for what was to happen.

“I think I put so much pressure on having a great experience at Stanford that, when I got there, and it wasn’t immediately what I wanted it to be, that just tanked my mood and my relationship with the sport,” she explained. But don’t count her out just yet! Regan, in true champion style, pulled off something great during her time at Stanford!

In her joining year itself, Regan won the 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard butterfly, and 4×100-yard medley relay team at the 2021 NCAA Championships. But she didn’t stop there! Regan also won the 200-yard backstroke, clocking 1:48.26. A time that set a whole new NCAA record. That’s not all! Regan went on to hold the 200m title for another year. She went on to win the gold in the 2022 NCAA Championships. However, when it came to 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard butterfly, much like Tokyo, she had to settle for a silver. It was not long after this that Regan decided to leave collegiate swimming behind.

By the end of the 2021–2022 collegiate season, she went pro. And boy-oh-boy, she did not just go pro; she started training under the man behind Michael Phelps! Yes, that’s right! Regan Smith began training under Bob Bowman. The rest, as they say, is history. The duo, since, have won multiple World Championship titles in just two years. And to top it all off, together, they won five Olympic medals in just one season! From what the medals have to say, Regan Smith is on a series that has only just hit season 1!