{"id":474526,"date":"2021-05-31T05:12:36","date_gmt":"2021-05-31T12:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=474526"},"modified":"2021-05-31T13:25:30","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T20:25:30","slug":"exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Olympic Trials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Olympic Trials<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over three astonishing days, 17-year-old Regan Smith<\/strong> made the best swimmers in the world look pedestrian, and she made a mockery of all previous records in the backstroke events. Smith had been a rising star since she qualified for her first World Championships at age 15. From there, she continued to improve upon her own best times season after season, so the natural progression would be world title contention, but this monumental leap was simply improbable.<\/p>\n

At the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Smith crushed Missy Franklin\u2019s<\/strong> seven-year-old world record in the semifinals of the 200 backstroke<\/a>. The next day, she captured her first world title by 2.57 seconds<\/a>, and a day after that, she swam the leadoff leg on the U.S. women\u2019s 400 medley relay and crushed Kathleen Baker\u2019s<\/strong> 100 backstroke world record<\/a>. Racing against a field of backstrokers that included two-time world champion Kylie Masse, Smith led the field by more than a bodylength.<\/p>\n

\"Regan

Regan Smith after breaking the 100 back world record at hte 2019 World Championships — Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer<\/p><\/div>\n

Beforehand, Smith had no idea that she was about to make a colossal leap forward. On the other hand, Mike<\/strong> Parratto<\/strong>, her coach at Riptide Swim Team, figured she would be in that range thanks to her training and her mental preparation, but Smith said, \u201che\u2019s very good at not communicating what he thinks I\u2019m going to do, and I don\u2019t want him to.\u201d Looking back on the leadup to the 2019 Worlds, Smith remembers swimming amazingly well every day in practice and at meets, although she admitted, \u201cI don\u2019t know if that\u2019s warped because of how the summer went.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2019 success set up Smith for the Olympic year as the overwhelming favorite for Olympic gold in both the 100 and 200 back, and Smith began 2020 still riding a wave of momentum, but the COVID-19 pandemic squashed that when the Olympics were postponed a year to 2021. \u201cI think putting things on hold and putting things at a stop was very strange, and I think I kind of lost my mojo, just because the hype was really building for me but I wasn\u2019t doing anything performance-wise to back it up,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

Like most swimmers around the country, Smith was out of training for several months. During the initial post-lockdown buildup, Smith tried to view the delay as a positive, with 12 extra months to improve, but her initial stretch of training was limited, and her confidence, built primarily through her meticulous preparation, gradually eroded. The result was the toughest stretch of Smith\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the time August rolled around, training was really rough because we weren\u2019t doing as much as we had been and I wasn\u2019t going as fast as I had normally been going in practice,\u201d Smith said. \u201cBackstroke, in particular, felt really rough. I remember it got to the point where I would avoid backstroke and do butterfly instead, just because backstroke felt so funky. Nobody really wants to do fly in practice.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Her first national-level meet after the pandemic began was the November 2020 U.S. Open in Des Moines, \u201cwhere I honestly kind of tanked.\u201d Her swims at that meet included a 59.95 100 back, 2:11.74 200 back, 58.09 100 fly and 2:08.61 200 fly, nothing awful by any stretch but not close to the level she expected of herself.<\/p>\n

\"team-usa-4x100-medley-relay-2019-world-championships_1\"

Regan Smith, Kelsi Dahlia, Lilly King and Simone Manuel celebrate winning gold in the women’s 400 medley relay at the 2019 FINA World Championships — Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant<\/p><\/div>\n

For years, Smith\u2019s career had progressed along a straight line sloped upwards, with each season building on the previous as her stock skyrocketed upwards. She went from qualifying for her first Worlds team in 2017 and making a final to winning her first national title and her first international medal at the Pan Pacific Championships in 2018. In 2019, American records in short course yards racing preceded winning world titles and setting world records in the summer. She was constantly knocking chunks off her lifetime bests and even expanding her repertoire of events, particularly into the 100 and 200 butterfly.<\/p>\n

Now, for the first time, her momentum was halted, the sense of can-do-no-wrong broken by the pandemic.<\/p>\n

After that, Smith\u2019s path to regaining her confidence was through practice. During the fall, she said, \u201cI was killing myself to get back to where I wanted to be,\u201d but she continued missing her practice goal times and struggling in sets. But finally, the long-awaited breakthrough came in December, when a new COVID spike in Minnesota halted all high school sports but a provision in the governor\u2019s order allowed college-aged athletes to continue practicing.<\/p>\n

\u201cPractice was super small, one to a lane. They were just awesome. They got really difficult, but it was a lot less stressful, a lot less people in the pool. I really got to focus on me,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI really feel like I found myself again because I\u2019d been struggling for so long, and then all the sudden, it was just like a switch flipped and suddenly, I was just doing really great again and I feel like myself again. I feel like I\u2019ve just been kind of riding that wave ever since Christmas break, and I think that\u2019s what started to get my confidence back where I needed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Regan Smith Building Back Up After Challenging Year<\/h3>\n

Smith\u2019s father, Paul<\/strong>, who is on staff at Riptide Swim Team, described Regan as \u201cnot remotely an extrovert,\u201d and she has a small group of close friends who are mainly swimmers. Mostly, she\u2019s a normal teenager who is \u201con her phone too much, looking at TikToks,\u201d and she can be a bit obsessive-compulsive about certain aspects of her routine, like watching the same show over and over.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe can be as goofy and funny as anyone I know, but it\u2019s selective,\u201d Paul said. \u201cIt has to be in a safe place. She has to be in the right mood. And then all the sudden, she can just be a complete goofball. And people don\u2019t really see that side of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given the one-year delay of the Olympic Games and the state of the world in the fall of 2020, Smith decided to defer her enrollment at Stanford by one year. \u201cI think moving on without finishing this chapter with Mike just wouldn\u2019t have been the right thing to do,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt didn\u2019t feel right in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith, now 19, said she has not enjoyed being one of the oldest swimmers in her practice group and feeling like the \u201cold lady,\u201d but she has enjoyed the extra year at home in Minnesota. The year has helped melt away some of the anxiety she felt about leaving.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore college last year, before COVID, I every day would wake up and be nervous about going to school in the fall. I was so excited, but I didn\u2019t feel quite ready to leave,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I now feel like I\u2019m ready. I don\u2019t feel as scared and terrified as I was last year. I think COVID taught me that the world is very small. You\u2019re not as far away as you think you are. It\u2019s not the end of the world. It\u2019ll be a change, but it\u2019s nothing to lose sleep over and freak out over. It\u2019s just another part of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"regan-smith-\"

Regan Smith at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis in May 2021 — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n

Now, as the gap year approaches its endpoint with Olympic Trials just weeks away, Smith enters a realm that carries a lot more anxiety than she might have felt in 2020. Even though she has regained confidence in her swimming, in part through a string of recent in-season performances on par with those from the 2019 season, entering the Olympic season as the double world record-holder, the reigning dominant swimmer but now two years removed from that campaign, will bring some tension.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s weird,\u201d Smith said of her position, her solemn, pensive tone conveying her complex emotions. \u201cIf this were a year ago, I\u2019d be like, \u2018Sick. I just did those times a year ago. I\u2019m ready to do them again.\u2019 And now, I\u2019m two years removed. We\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s challenge has been preparing herself to handle negative thoughts, the what-if-it-goes-wrong thought that spins through every swimmer\u2019s mind before a significant race or through someone\u2019s mind before an exam or a job interview. Sometimes, Smith will have that thought pop into her head at night, and when that happens, she reminds herself to breathe, that she is ready, and that everything is going to be OK. Returning her inner monologue to a positive framework has been critical.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis meet\u2019s going to be harder than it would have been in another year, but I think I\u2019m up for the challenge, and I think I\u2019m ready for it,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to walk into the meet with that label of world record-holder on me because then I\u2019m going to get too caught up in that and I\u2019m going to let that affect me and add pressure, and that\u2019s the last thing I want. I\u2019m just me. I don\u2019t want to walk in with that label on myself because I think I do better when I just swim as me and not as the world record-holder.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Smith\u2019s father explained that she has been accustomed to swimming under scrutiny since she was 10 and certainly through her experiences at national-level meets and World Championships over the past four years, and those situations have never been overwhelming for her. Every human feels pressure, but Smith has been very adept at not letting that diminish her performances. But Paul believes having to wait an extra year between opportunities to race at peak form has allowed more doubt than ever to creep in, specifically the need to prove that her remarkable accomplishments in 2019 were no fluke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s bothering her now more than in the past because when the clock turned over to January 2020, she was on a roll,\u201d Paul Smith said. \u201cShe was aware of that pressure last year, but I don\u2019t think she internalized it and I don’t think she was really worried about it. But now, she\u2019s another year removed from that kind of lightning speed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kaylee

Australia’s Kaylee McKeown, the primary challenger to Regan Smith in both backstroke events for the 2021 Olympics<\/p><\/div>\n

Ratcheting up the tension even more has been following the exploits Australia\u2019s Kaylee<\/strong> McKeown<\/strong>, another 19-year-old who won silver behind Smith in the 200 back at the 2019 World Championship and has challenged Smith\u2019s world records in the 100 and 200 back on multiple occasions this year. In May, McKeown swam a 57.63 100 back, just six hundredths off Smith\u2019s world record<\/a>, and she also went under 58 in December and has two other 58.1 performances in the past seven months. In the 200 back, McKeown is the third-fastest swimmer in history after recording a 2:04.31 in May, and she has also swum under 2:06 five additional times since November.<\/p>\n

Smith admitted that it was tough to see McKeown begin her hot streak, particularly in late 2020 when Smith was struggling mightily, but recently, she has been able to view impressive results by McKeown and other competitors as motivational and positive. Smith even messaged McKeown after her recent stellar swims to congratulate her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not cutthroat competition, even internationally,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI just want to use it as motivation and inspiration. What she\u2019s doing right now is incredible, and it\u2019s very inspiring to see. I think it\u2019s helped me swim better and practice, and I think it\u2019s helped me get better at meets. Just hats off to her, seriously. I really hope that I can make it to the Games, that we can compete against each other because I think it would be really special. I don\u2019t want to be jealous, and I don\u2019t want to be angry that she\u2019s doing so fantastically when it\u2019s been a little bit for me. I just want to use it as motivation remember that I\u2019m capable of that, too. I\u2019ve done that before, and I can do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

The Final Stretch<\/h3>\n

The pandemic year of 2020 challenged every person to adapt to some new normal, to handle and deflect challenges they never could have anticipated. That sometimes meant learning to cope and finding fresh methods of maintaining sanity and new sources of inspiration for pushing through the frustration.<\/p>\n

For Smith, that meant getting a puppy, a Pomsky (Pomeranian husky mix) named Kai that she got in September. That dog became her release and her comfort at a time when nothing felt normal and the future felt more uncertain and daunting.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been my stress reliever,\u201d Smith said. He\u2019s just been so great at helping me shake things off and distracting me. If I\u2019m ever feeling like I\u2019m not in control of my thoughts and I just need to get away, I go play with Kai. He\u2019s just always there. He always wants to hang out with me. That dude has been my rock for almost nine months now. He\u2019s just been one of the best parts about this whole past year. All the ups and downs, he\u2019s just been there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, the eventful and far longer-than-expected journey has nearly reached its natural endpoint as Smith prepares to compete for a spot on her first Olympic team. The Olympic Trials<\/a> will actually be her second as she competed as a 14-year-old in 2016, and she qualified for the semifinals of the 100 back, placing 13th. Now 19, Smith will return to Omaha to compete in four events, the 100 and 200 back and the 100 and 200 butterfly.<\/p>\n

\"regan-smith\"

Regan Smith at U.S. Nationals in 2019 — Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble<\/p><\/div>\n

She enters as the favorite in both backstroke events as the world record-holder, but the 100 back projects to be the most competitive event of the entire meet<\/a>. The field features the previous world record-holder (Baker), the 2019 World Championship bronze medalist (Olivia Smoliga<\/strong>) and three other swimmers who have previously broken 59. Smith also ranks fifth in the U.S. in the 100 fly during the Olympic Trials qualifying period and second in the country in the 200 fly, so she stands a strong chance at qualifying for an Olympic berth in that event, as well.<\/p>\n

No, she does not feel quite as poised and confident as she did in 2019, primarily due to the layoff and the competitive nature of her events, but she has gotten herself back to the point where it would be foolish to expect anything but her best over the next two months. Beyond anything else, Smith can be certain that she has done everything possible to be at her best at the right time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m nervous,\u201d Smith admitted. \u201cI\u2019m sure everyone\u2019s nervous. It\u2019s going to be really tough. Every day, I\u2019m trying to remind myself of what I\u2019m capable of and what I\u2019ve done in the past and how hard I\u2019ve worked. I know how talented I am and I know I can do great things if I believe in myself.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And even with the challenges and understandable anxiety ahead, Smith wants to soak in the experience of Olympic Trials and hopefully the Olympics as much as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something I\u2019m going to look back on and remember for the rest of my life,\u201d she said. \u201cI just want to look back on it and have fond memories, no matter what the outcome is, just because this is an incredible experience that very few people get to experience. And that\u2019s just what I want to try to remember because if I get too caught up in the stress and the nerves, that\u2019s not what I want to be there for.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Olympic Trials Over three astonishing days, 17-year-old Regan Smith made the best swimmers in the world look pedestrian, and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":472848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,122077,17,7],"tags":[72101,25418,51047,75027,25136,26904,45350],"class_list":["post-474526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-americas","category-commentary","category-usa","tag-2020-olympic-swimming-trials","tag-kathleen-baker","tag-kaylee-mckeown","tag-mike-parratto","tag-missy-franklin","tag-olivia-smoliga","tag-regan-smith"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nRegan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Trials<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After the postponement of the Olympic Games, Regan Smith faces increased pressure as she tries to return to world record-breaking form.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive: Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Olympic Trials\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After the postponement of the Olympic Games, Regan Smith faces increased pressure as she tries to return to world record-breaking form.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swimming World\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-05-31T12:12:36+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-05-31T20:25:30+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/regan-smith-TYR-Pro-Indy-2021-2664.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1500\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Rieder - Senior Writer\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@David_Rieder\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Rieder - Senior Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"David Rieder - Senior Writer\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/610dd0484edf5c4dba59e62a7e5b89af\"},\"headline\":\"Exclusive: Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Olympic Trials\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-05-31T12:12:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-31T20:25:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/\"},\"wordCount\":2741,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/regan-smith-TYR-Pro-Indy-2021-2664.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2020 Olympic Swimming Trials\",\"Kathleen Baker\",\"Kaylee McKeown\",\"Mike Parratto\",\"Missy Franklin\",\"Olivia Smoliga\",\"Regan Smith\"],\"articleSection\":[\"-Home Slider\",\"Americas\",\"Commentary\",\"USA\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/\",\"name\":\"Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Trials\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/regan-smith-TYR-Pro-Indy-2021-2664.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-05-31T12:12:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-31T20:25:30+00:00\",\"description\":\"After the postponement of the Olympic Games, Regan Smith faces increased pressure as she tries to return to world record-breaking form.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/regan-smith-TYR-Pro-Indy-2021-2664.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/regan-smith-TYR-Pro-Indy-2021-2664.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1500,\"caption\":\"Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Exclusive: Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Olympic Trials\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"description\":\"The Global Leader in Aquatic News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"width\":1799,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Swimming World\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/610dd0484edf5c4dba59e62a7e5b89af\",\"name\":\"David Rieder - Senior Writer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/771e0586ce6532b0e16f68a06c9bd273?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/771e0586ce6532b0e16f68a06c9bd273?s=96&d=blank&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"David Rieder - Senior Writer\"},\"description\":\"David Rieder is a staff writer for Swimming World. He has contributed to the magazine and website since 2009, and he has covered the NCAA Championships, U.S. Nationals, Olympic Trials as well as the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and the 2017 World Championships in Budapest. He is a native of Charleston, S.C., and a 2016 graduate of Duke University.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/David_Rieder\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/davidr\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Trials","description":"After the postponement of the Olympic Games, Regan Smith faces increased pressure as she tries to return to world record-breaking form.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Exclusive: Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Olympic Trials","og_description":"After the postponement of the Olympic Games, Regan Smith faces increased pressure as she tries to return to world record-breaking form.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/","og_site_name":"Swimming World","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","article_published_time":"2021-05-31T12:12:36+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-05-31T20:25:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":1500,"url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/regan-smith-TYR-Pro-Indy-2021-2664.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"David Rieder - Senior Writer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@David_Rieder","twitter_site":"@swimmingworld","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David Rieder - Senior Writer","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/"},"author":{"name":"David Rieder - Senior Writer","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/610dd0484edf5c4dba59e62a7e5b89af"},"headline":"Exclusive: Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Olympic Trials","datePublished":"2021-05-31T12:12:36+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-31T20:25:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/"},"wordCount":2741,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/regan-smith-TYR-Pro-Indy-2021-2664.jpg","keywords":["2020 Olympic Swimming Trials","Kathleen Baker","Kaylee McKeown","Mike Parratto","Missy Franklin","Olivia Smoliga","Regan Smith"],"articleSection":["-Home Slider","Americas","Commentary","USA"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/","name":"Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Trials","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/regan-smith-TYR-Pro-Indy-2021-2664.jpg","datePublished":"2021-05-31T12:12:36+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-31T20:25:30+00:00","description":"After the postponement of the Olympic Games, Regan Smith faces increased pressure as she tries to return to world record-breaking form.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/regan-smith-TYR-Pro-Indy-2021-2664.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/regan-smith-TYR-Pro-Indy-2021-2664.jpg","width":2000,"height":1500,"caption":"Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/exclusive-regan-smith-handling-stresses-and-regaining-her-mojo-in-time-for-olympic-trials\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Exclusive: Regan Smith Handling Stresses and Regaining Her Mojo in Time for Olympic Trials"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","name":"Swimming World","description":"The Global Leader in Aquatic News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Swimming World","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","width":1799,"height":900,"caption":"Swimming World"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld","https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/610dd0484edf5c4dba59e62a7e5b89af","name":"David Rieder - Senior Writer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/771e0586ce6532b0e16f68a06c9bd273?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/771e0586ce6532b0e16f68a06c9bd273?s=96&d=blank&r=pg","caption":"David Rieder - Senior Writer"},"description":"David Rieder is a staff writer for Swimming World. He has contributed to the magazine and website since 2009, and he has covered the NCAA Championships, U.S. Nationals, Olympic Trials as well as the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and the 2017 World Championships in Budapest. He is a native of Charleston, S.C., and a 2016 graduate of Duke University.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/David_Rieder"],"url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/davidr\/"}]}},"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"Regan Smith at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick","source_text":"","source_url":""},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/regan-smith-TYR-Pro-Indy-2021-2664.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p56Jja-1ZrE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474526\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}