Regan Smith closes strong to set American record for silver medal in women’s 200-meter butterfly final

You can view the complete race results below.

Women’s 200-meter Butterfly

1. Summer McIntosh, Canada – (OR) 2:03.03
2. Regan Smith, United States – (AR) 2:03.84
3. Zhang Yufei, China – 2:05.09
4. Elizabeth Dekkers, Australia – 2:07.11
5. Helena Rosendahl Bach, Denmark – 2:07.11
6. Alex Shackell, United States – 2:07.73
7. Abbey Lee Connor, Australia – 2:08.82
8. Laura Stephens, Great Britain – 2:08.82

Prior to reaching the Olympics, Regan Smith was in excellent form in the pool, as evidenced by some lights-out times at the Olympic trials.

She even set a new world record in the 100-meter backstroke during the trials, clocking a time of 57.13 seconds.

Smith is a former Stanford swimmer who now spends her time training in Austin, Texas.

A member of the swimming team at Stanford for the 2021-22 season before leaving to make the switch to become a professional, Smith later trained at Arizona State with coach Bob Bowman, who also worked with Michael Phelps.

Smith won an NCAA title in 2022 with her time of 1:47.76 in the 200-yard backstroke event. That time also set a record as it’s clear the backstroke is what she is the most equipped to win. She also helped Stanford to first place finishes in the 4×50-yard medley relay and 4×200-yard freestyle relay in the Pac-12 Championship.

Smith earned the Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year for that season. She later would go on to win two gold medals at the 2022 World Championships, one in the 100-meter backstroke and one in the 4×100-meter medley relay. Smith earned silver medals in the 50-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter backstrokes one year later in the 2023 World Championships.

On3’s Chandler Vessels also helped contribute to this report.