Regan Smith exclusive: 'I’m just really excited to get to Tokyo and compete'

Thumb through American swimmer Regan Smith’s 5th grade yearbook from her school in Minnesota and the question of, ‘What would you like to be when you grow up?’ is answered with one word: Olympian.

“It's been a dream of mine for a very long time,” Smith, 19, told Olympics.com in a recent exclusive interview. “It's like, gosh, she would just be so proud of me no matter what. It's very cool to see how far I've come and how that dream has finally come true.”

All grown up, yes, but Smith had already come quite far in her career before she reached Olympian status, winning the gold medal in the 200m backstroke at worlds in 2019 and also owning (at one point) the 100m and 200m back world records. (She still has the record in the 200m.)

At Tokyo 2020, the 100m backstroke will feature a loaded field that includes Smith, the former world record holder, and Australia’s Kaylee McKeown, who set the new world record at Australia’s Olympic trials last month.

Smith texted McKeown congratulations upon hearing the news, her 57.57 record bested by a time of 57.45. They’ll go head-to-head in Tokyo.

Not that Smith needs much motivation, having been in the spotlight since age 14, when she first swam in races alongside greats like Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky. It was a kind of early attention thought taught her the only lane that matters: Her own.

Even as the buzz builds around the pending Olympic Games and what’s at stake in the pool, Smith remains singularly focused on herself.

“I honestly try to take all of the external pressures that others put on me, and I just try to push them to the side as much as I can because at the end of the day, nobody else is going to determine how I perform,” Smith said. “I can only determine how I perform.”

Having made her way to Hawaii for the U.S. team pre-Olympic camp, Smith was already in Tokyo mode in her 8 July interview. Her best distraction tactic from all the noise? Her dog, Kai.

“[It’s] what I like to do to kind of unwind and take a step back,” she said. “Now that I'm not with him, I'm having my mom send pictures every single day. Our whole texting conversation is just photos of him, just photos of Kai. Yeah, that's what I do. I just look at him, I forget about everything else because he's perfect.”

Below, the full conversation with Smith, edited for length and clarity.

Relief from trials... with Tokyo now in sight

Olympics.com: How do you feel now being settled into an Olympian status? And what are you looking forward to most about being in Tokyo?

Regan Smith [RS]: It feels really good to have that Olympian status. Things have definitely started to sink in now that I'm here at camp getting into the groove of things. It's just been a blast all around. I just think it's been very good for me mentally to get out of Minnesota, come here and be with this amazing team. I'm just getting so excited for Tokyo. I feel strong. I'm training really, really well. We practice every day. I'm having tons of fun with all my teammates.

What's been the best part of Team USA camp and its atmosphere? Is there a summer camp vibe to it? The U.S. swimmers always like to add fun to the hard work.

RS: Yeah, I think that the best part about this whole experience with training camp so far is being a part of this Olympic team just getting to know everyone. I feel like this team, since we had the pause last year... it’s been two years really since a team like this has been together. And it's changed so much from 2019.

I think we're all bonding a lot and we're really forming some really great relationships that I think will continue to get stronger in Tokyo because we'll have a little bit less freedom, as we know.

It definitely has a summer camp vibe. ... It's a business trip to be here, but it's a very, very fun business trip and we're enjoying it.

You've been in the spotlight for a while now, for the past few years. How have you taken some of the pressures and expectations that can be put on you? Do you ignore them or use them as fuel? How do you feel like at your young age you've been able to accomplish what you have in the pool?

RS: I know what I'm doing every day at practice and I know what I'm capable of; nobody else knows [that] but me. And so why would I care about other people's opinions of me or expectations for me? The only thing that matters is my performance. So that's the mentality that I try to have. And it's obviously very much easier said than done.

I definitely felt some external pressures kind of closing in at trials. That was very mentally difficult for me to get through. ... I definitely feel like I'm riding this very relaxed wave into the Games. I think I'm in a very good place mentally.

A lot of American swimmers say there is more pressure at trials versus the Olympics. Was that true for you? How much relief did you feel?

RS: The relief I felt after making the Olympic team was insane. I didn't quite comprehend how nervous and stressed I was until I made the team and all of that was plucked out of me. But it's an interesting feeling because I always remember dreaming about what it would feel like to make the Olympics. And I feel like I always expected it to be this just euphoric feeling of excitement and celebration. And all I felt was relief, which was a good feeling. But I wanted to feel more excited. And I feel like that feeling of immense relief came from me putting pressure on myself and worrying that, like, oh, if I didn't make the team, what other people would think or say.

I just I wish I had enjoyed that moment and celebrated it because this Olympic dream has been a lifelong dream. But I've definitely celebrated now on my own terms, away from the cameras.

100m backstroke: Taking on Kaylee McKeown

There will be a lot of eyes on the 100 metre backstroke. How are you going to approach that race and going head-to-head with Kaylee after she broke your world record last month?

RS: I think that the situation with Kaylee is great for both of us. I think we both push each other extremely hard. ... I was extremely happy for her, too, because she had been inching her way closer and closer to that world record for four months. And I was extremely honestly, genuinely happy for her that she finally was able to nab it. And it was extremely inspiring.

I think it made me swim a lot better at trials. I mean, when I went 57.9 in the semifinals; that was my first time breaking 58 in like almost two years. I think that really put some put some fire under me.

I know some people look at it as a rivalry, but I just want to look at it as it's two women who really want to build each other up and compete super hard against each other and do the best that they can. I think both of us are going to be super fired up in Tokyo. And I think that the 100 back is going to shape up to be a great race. I think we're going to have some amazing times come out of it. ... I've had some rocky backstroke swims this past year, so I'm just ready to go fast. I really am. And I think she'll push me. So I'm ready.

What’s your approach? Will you have your blinders on? Chat with Kaylee and try and stay loose, or... ?

RS: I like to be kind of low-key. I don't really have my game face on. And like, I'm not a super intense competitor, like behind the blocks, right before our race.

I like to build people up because when I build others up, it makes me feel good and it makes me want to swim fast. I'll say hi. And it was really important to me to send that congratulatory text to [McKeown] just because back when I broke the 200 back world record, Missy Franklin sent a very nice note to me. And I just know I remember how good that made me feel and I wanted to pass that along to her because it was a very cool thing to see.

I'm interested in just building each other up instead of having this super intense, like, vicious rivalry or anything. I'm just not interested in relationships like that. I just like to keep things positive.

How excited are you for the 100 metre backstroke overall? It could be one of the must-watch events of the whole Olympics.

RS: Yeah, I’m super psyched to be among that field of women in 100 backstroke. I know that field is incredible... and it's cool that I held the world record in that event for some time just because that event is extremely competitive and fast right now. I'm just excited that I have a chance to race all these girls and yeah, maybe take a crack at that record again. I know that multiple girls have an excellent shot at breaking [the record]. It's one of the most competitive events that we've seen in a while.

Team USA: Contributing to the legacy

There's great veterans across the board on the team, obviously the captains are representative. What have you tried to glean from them or what are a couple of the moments where you tried to learn from these athletes who have really proven themselves on the Olympic stage?

RS: I like to learn by watching people. ... I just love watching how the veterans carry themselves in every aspect of who they are in and out of the pool and how they treat the recovery and how they handle press and their emotions and just everything like [that]. I think they all really lead by example.

It makes me excited now being on this team and not being the youngest one here, because I have been the youngest one on the past few trips I've been on. It's kind of nice to be in the middle of the pack because I think it gives me a great opportunity to do the same for some of the younger kids on this team. It's cool that I can be in both positions at once.

Is it crazy for you to have looked up to these people – and you’ve been to worlds before – but to be on an Olympic teammate with them now?

RS: When I think about how the last time the Olympics were going on, I was sitting in a hotel, I was at a junior national competition in Minneapolis. I was watching every single session religiously. So now it's cool that this time around... like I'll be I'll be the one who's on TV, the one who's competing there. It’s kind of like, ‘Wait a second, like this is extremely cool.’ But I try not to think of it that way too much because it is a ‘pinch me’ moment. It's also like, ‘I belong here’ ... I like to think of myself [that] I'm on this level now too.

There is such a legacy of female swimmers from the U.S. at the Olympics. How does it feel to add yourself to that list and – hopefully – win some hardware?

RS: You know, USA Swimming has been a powerhouse for so long in the sport. It's very cool that I get to continue that myself and be a part of this. It's also a cool feeling to be a part of something bigger than yourself. It's fun to come in and race and put the flag cap on your head and... be a part of something that's bigger than your name. You're representing an entire country and it's extremely special.

Regan Smith: Driven, introverted, fun-loving

What's little Regan think? The girl who grew up in Minnesota and was dreaming about the Olympics? What does she think about the person who's about to get on a plane for Tokyo?

RS: Yeah, I know that if, 10-year-old me could see into the future, she’d be over the moon. I actually I had a post on Instagram after I made the team in 100 back, I posted a picture of my fifth grade yearbook photo and it was like, ‘What you wanted to be when you grow up?’ Mine was ‘Olympian.’

That is still hard to sink in for me that I've made it like that and that that dream of mine for a decade has come true. So I think that's something that I'll have to think about and give more thought to once the games are over, just because it's hard to have those conversations with yourself about what's going on [right now]. But I know that I would be very proud of myself if I could see into the future. She would be extremely proud.

How do you describe yourself in three words?

RS: I would definitely say driven. I'm very, very driven. I don't think I could have gotten to this point in my life if I didn't have drive and that kind of ties in with motivations.

Maybe introverted as well, I guess that's sort of away from the pool, but yeah, I just I like to have my alone time and kind of unwind and recharge a little bit.

And I would say something along the lines of like fun-loving. I like to have fun, I like to laugh, I like to be stupid with my friends.

Lastly, what makes you just forget about swimming and forget about the pressure that comes with it?

RS: This year what I've done to just kind of unwind and take a step back is play with my dog, Kai, which is sad because he's not here. But he was a quarantine puppy: We got him at the end of September and he's just been my rock this past year. I love him so much.

And so if I come home from like a bad practice or like a meet or something and I just need to step away, I play with him. I take him for a walk, we hang out, watch TV together. He loves to snuggle. So he'll just lay in my bed with me and hang out and then he'll get a little hyper and like, attack me. He's so fun.