{"id":651529,"date":"2026-08-18T07:37:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T14:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=651529"},"modified":"2026-08-18T08:07:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T15:07:45","slug":"chefs-kiss-swims-from-skyler-smith-vault-late-bloomer-up-world-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/chefs-kiss-swims-from-skyler-smith-vault-late-bloomer-up-world-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Chef\u2019s Kiss\u2019 Swims from Skyler Smith Vault Late Bloomer Up World Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Chef\u2019s Kiss\u2019 Swims from Skyler Smith Vault Late Bloomer Up World Rankings<\/strong><\/p>\n

Skyler Smith<\/strong> admits that she wears her heart on her sleeve. Around the fourth \u201csuper\u201d of her interview Friday morning at the Woollett Aquatic Center, that explanation became redundant.<\/p>\n

Smith was stoked. She had just set the second-fastest time of prelims in the women\u2019s 50 breaststroke at the Pan Pacific Championships and the fastest among Americans at 30.08. It trimmed .23 off the best time she\u2019s been chasing since Nationals in 2023. It also banished a false start in Thursday\u2019s 100 breast.<\/p>\n

So yeah, whatever level of exuberance Smith was at, it was right for the moment. Just as it was when she blasted through the 30-second barrier to go 29.90 for third place at night<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been trying to get under 30.4 for three years now,\u201d Smith said after prelims. \u201cI was so scared to jump off the block. Honestly, that was my biggest fear. Once I heard the go, I was like, \u2018It’s go time.\u2019 So I’m truly so, so honored to be competing here in my first international meet for the USA and finally underneath that 30.4.\u201d<\/p>\n