OMAHA — About 15 hours after making the Olympic team, Regan Smith went right back to work. Except it didn’t feel like work.
Smith, of Lakeville, swam in Wednesday’s preliminaries of the women’s 200-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic trials, the morning after winning the 100 backstroke to secure a berth for the Tokyo Games. She comfortably advanced to Wednesday night’s semifinals in a time of 2 minutes, 9.15 seconds, the fourth-best mark in the field. Smith swam in a fast heat won by Dakota Luther (2:08.96), with Kelly Pash just out-touching Smith in 2:09.09 at CHI Health Center.
Hali Flickinger, the 2019 world silver medalist in the 200 fly, led the qualifying in a time of 2:08.14.
After winning the 100 back Tuesday night, Smith said it was a relief to make the Olympic team. She has shouldered high expectations since setting two world records in 2019 and was considered a lock to reach the Tokyo Games. With that accomplished, her mind-set instantly changed.
“Going forward, I’m just excited to have some of the pressure off my back and just enjoy the experience,” Smith said. “I think it will be a lot of fun over these next couple of days, instead of a lot of stress like these past few days have been. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Before the trials, Smith said she believes she is “capable of doing something really, really great” in the 200 butterfly at the Olympic trials. She loves the event, and she got some good experience at the final Pro Swim Series meet in May, when she was second to Flickinger.
Smith has worked hard on improving in the 200 fly and set a national age-group record in the event in 2020 with a personal-best mark of 2:06.39.
Despite her victory Tuesday, Smith is eager to polish up her form in the 100 back, too. Australia’s Kaylee McKeown broke Smith’s world record Sunday, giving Smith a challenge before the two face off in Tokyo.
Smith said she has a “great relationship” with McKeown and sent her a congratulatory text, adding she was very happy to see the Australian seize the world record after coming close several times. Throughout the pandemic, as Smith struggled with inconsistency, she found inspiration in McKeown’s excellence.
“It’s just motivating me to put my head down now that I’ve made it,” she said. “I’m really excited to train for a little bit, clean some things up and see what I can do in Tokyo.
“Now that this part is behind me, I’m full steam ahead, ready to go.”
In other Wednesday preliminaries, former Gopher Bowe Becker advanced to the semifinals of the men’s 100 freestyle. Becker won three Big Ten titles and was a two-time runner-up at the NCAA championships during a Gophers career that ended in 2019. Now swimming for the Sandpipers of Nevada, he had the eighth-best time of the preliminary heats (48.61).
Gophers senior Max McHugh, who tied for seventh in the men’s 100 breaststroke, did not advance out of the heats in the 200 breaststroke. McHugh’s time of 2:13.97 ranked 21st.