U.S. International Team Trials: Regan Smith Swims Eighth-Fastest 100 Back in History for U.S. Open Record; Claire Curzan Second (VIDEO)

Regan Smith -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

U.S. International Team Trials: Regan Smith Swims Eighth-Fastest 100 Back in History for U.S. Open Record; Claire Curzan Second

It has become an annual tradition for the women’s 100 backstroke to be one of the most competitive events in the United States. This year presented a bevy of legitimate contenders, but the class of the field was Regan Smith, the American-record holder and Olympic bronze medalist in the event, and Smith produced her finest swim of the meet to beat the field by six tenths and finish just two tenths off her own record.

Smith was the top qualifier in prelims at 58.29, already the fastest time in the world for 2021, and in the final, she was out ahead of the field in 28.06, under world-record pace, and she pulled away on the second 50 with the only split in the field under 30 seconds. Smith touched in 57.76, breaking her own U.S. Open record of 57.92 set at last year’s Olympic Trials. Smith’s performance was the first sub-58 effort all year, and it was the eighth-fastest time ever recorded. The only swimmers to ever beat that time are Kaylee McKeown, the world-record holder and Olympic champion, and Kylie Maase, the Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion.

“I was really happy with my week overall, and I was really happy to end on such a good note,” Smith said. “In my swim this morning, I felt really good. I felt really confident, and I just wanted to go for it tonight, and I definitely did. It showed a little bit in the last 10 meters, but that’s OK, and I’m really proud of what I was able to do.”

Smith returned to the long course pool just one month after her first NCAA Championships, a meet that included both triumphs (a 200 back-200 fly double on the final day where she picked up a first and a second-place finish) and frustrations (she slipped on her backstroke turn in the 200 medley relay and then placed a distant third in the 100-yard back). Smith had to ensure she kept her emotions level to be ready to contend for spots on the World Championship team in short order.

“It could have been really easy for me to walk away from NCAAs feeling really defeated, and for a little bit there, I did feel a bit defeated, so I think it was really important to have that reset and know that long course is a totally different animal and walk into it with a clean slate and a fresh state of mind,” she said. “I’m really happy with how I’ve handled things over the past month.”

The battle for second place in the 100 back final was fierce. Katharine Berkoff had set the American record in winning the 50 backstroke Thursday evening, but Berkoff fell behind Smith, Olympic Trials runnerup Rhyan White and multi-talented teenager Claire Curzan early on and could not rebound. White and Curzan were tied for second at the 50-meter mark, and then Curzan surged on the way home and pulled into second place.

Curzan finished in 58.39 to add the 100 back to her program of events for World Championships. She improved to third in the world for 2022 behind Smith and McKeown, and she became the 11th-fastest performer in history and fourth-fastest American ever. Curzan will have a packed schedule for Worlds after she already won the 50 butterfly and placed second in the 100 free and 100 fly earlier in the meet.

White placed third in 58.59, just ahead of Berkoff (58.61). Three other swimmers broke 1:00: Isabelle Stadden (59.16), Smoliga (59.29) and 200 back winner Phoebe Bacon (59.56).

Like Curzan, Smith was also already qualified for the World Championships after finishing second to Hali Flickinger in the 200 butterfly on the first day of the meet. She is the world-record holder in the 200 back, and she posted a strong time of 2:05.65 in that event Wednesday evening, but she will not swim the race at World Championships since she placed third behind Bacon and White. Smith also placed second in the 50 back while finishing under the previous American record.

While Smith captured three medals at the Olympics last year, with silvers in the 200 fly and 400 medley relay to go along with the aforementioned 100 back bronze, the 200 back has been a struggle for her since she annihilated Missy Franklin’s world record with a 2:03.35 at the 2019 World Championships. But Smith insisted that she had no mixed emotions about her performance in the four-length race. Her effort in Greensboro was the third-best of her career and her fastest since July 2019, and she has consciously focused on resetting her mentality in that event.

“I feel like the 2:03 that I did three years ago is just following me, and I just want to put it away and be a new swimmer and start from scratch and rebuild myself,” Smith said. “I hadn’t been 2:05 in two-and-a-half years. I’m psyched with that. That swim taught me that I’m capable of being that person again who did go 2:03. While I didn’t make the team, it’s like, ‘So what?’ It is my third-best time ever, and Rhyan and Phoebe are going to represent the USA really well in that event. It is what it is, but I’m just really excited for my future in that race because I’ve had a really tough relationship with it for a while.”

But those thoughts about the 200 back are in the future. First, Smith will contend for medals in the 200 fly, 100 back, 50 back and 400 medley relay in Budapest. A showdown against McKeown and Masse in the 100 back is a particularly exciting proposition for swimming fans.

“I’ve got work to do,” Smith said. “I’m really happy that I have Torri (Huske) by my side to push me really hard in practice and Taylor (Ruck) for that matter, so I think it’s going to be a great spring for us. We’re going to get a lot of work done and stay motivated and stay hungry. I really want to go out there and perform well for Team USA. I’d love to come away with some medals. That’s really important to me, just representing our country well.”

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