From the aquatic community of Lakeville, Minnesota, emerged Regan Smith, an Olympic medalist and former world record holder whose journey to swimming stardom was deeply shaped by the unique blend of coaching expertise and unwavering family support provided by her parents.
Regan Elisabeth Smith is America’s backstroke star and was born on February 9, 2002, in Lakeville, Minnesota. She is most famously known for being an Olympic silver & bronze medalist, as well as a former world record holder in the 100m & 200m backstroke. Just at the age of 23, she already is an expert in backstroke and butterfly events. She broke out on the international stage at the 2019 World Championships, winning two gold medals.
She set a new world record at just 17 years old, with a time of 2:03:35 at the semi-finals, to win the 200m backstroke world gold medal. Smith, who already has eight Olympic medals, has been inspired by your family members when it comes to loving the swimming pool. So let’s see who she grew up with and how she developed an amazing talent for swimming.
Who Is Regan Smith’s Father, Paul Smith?
Paul Smith is her father and also is a swim coach who coached Regan in her early years. He worked with Riptide Swim Club in Minnesota and is known for a calm and supportive approach to Regan’s training. Paul decided to become a program director for his daughter’s swim team.
So he had to balance on how to play the role of both apparent and coach. As per Foss Swim School, Paul had explained how he, as a parent, balanced the role of being a dad and a coach to Reagan Smith. “When you have a special kind of athlete, it’s very easy to put them on a pedestal,” he said. “A lot of parents want to push them – they have a 9-year-old and want them up with the 12-year-olds because they can beat them. I’ve made that mistake. It can be difficult from a social perspective. Sometimes a parent has to be smarter.”
Who Is Regan Smith’s Mother, Kristi Smith?
Krishti Smith is Regan’s mother. As a former gymnast, she instilled athletic discipline in Regan. She also took charge of Regan’s academic balance and emotional well-being, and she is known for being actively involved in her travel and routines. Having been a gymnastics coach, both she and Regan’s father have experience in training athletes to help them become the best versions of themselves.
Interestingly, both Regan’s mom and dad are not sure where she got her talent for swimming as an athlete. However, Regan and her sister both had a talent and love for the pool, so they were enrolled in club swimming. And then there was no stopping Regan from becoming a world champion.
Where Are Regan Smith’s Parents From, and What Is Their Ethnicity?
The Smith family is from Lakeville, Minnesota, and ethnicity-wise, they are White American, aka Caucasian. The family is part of Minnesota’s well-known local swimming community since Regan was a part of the local swimming club from a very young age.
Regan has always shown her gratitude to her parents and expressed how indebted she is to them. Conveying to World Aquatics, Smith expressed how her parents helped her reach such a pedestal. Pointing out the financial sacrifices her mom and dad made, the champion swimmer said, “I want to get my parents something special for Christmas this year because they have done quite a lot for me. They have spent a lot of money on me during my swimming career, so I would like to give back in a way that is bigger than just saying thank you.”
Does Regan Smith Have a Sibling?
Regan has a sister named Brenna Smith. Brenna was also a swimmer at the local/regional level, and both of them were enrolled in the local swimming club in Minnesota when they were growing up.
Brenna is her older sister and was the captain of the swimming team when Regan decided to join. She had also mentioned how she was inspired by her older sister to join swimming. They both were under coach Dan Schneider, and Regan said she was thankful to her sister and her coach.
“I owe it to my oldest sister, for sure, because I just wanted to copy her, like every younger sibling does,” Regan said to The New York Times. With amazing family members standing behind her like a pillar, it is safe to say that Regan’s journey as a world-class swimmer has just begun. Are you excited to see where her swimming career goes?
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