At the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials on Tuesday night, Regan Smith broke the world record in the 100-meter backstroke. The 22-year-old from Minnesota finished in 57.13 seconds, beating the previous record of 57.33 seconds set by Australia’s Kaylee McKeown last year.
Smith first broke the world record in this event at the 2019 World Championships when she was only 17. However, she struggled with the sudden fame, which allowed McKeown to take the lead in the competition. Despite her obvious talent, Smith sometimes lacked confidence.
Since October, she has been seeing a sports psychologist, which has helped her mental health. Her coach, Bob Bowman, who also trained 23-time gold medallist Michael Phelps, has been focusing on her physical training with a rigorous schedule.