Smith won the gold medal in the women’s 200 meter backstroke final at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju with a time of 2:03.69. Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown came in second place with a time of 2:06.26 and Canadian swimmer Kylie Masse came in third with a time of 2:06.62, taking home the bronze.
At the semifinals on the previous day, Smith broke the world record in this event with a time of 2:03.35. Smith shattered Missy Franklin’s world record of 2:04.06 that she had set at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, from nearly seven years ago. This was Franklin’s last remaining world record in the international swimming record books.
Smith’s gold medal marks her first world championship medal in her career. She is the sole swimmer to swim under 2:04.00 in the 200 meter backstroke, and she has done it now twice in two days, which was quite remarkable.
On her world record, she remarked that it was “crazy” and she is still in disbelief. “It just gave me a ton of confidence going into tonight,” she said, prior to adding that her biggest goal was to come away with a medal for Team USA, in an effort to help in their medal count.
“I am just so happy I was able to get a gold medal and support Team USA. It just feels really awesome,” she added.
Most impressive about Regan Smith is that she is only 17 years old and she is still in high school. It is safe to say that Regan Smith is the future in the sport of swimming.
