Regan Smith second in 200 fly, grabs another Olympics event

OMAHA - When Regan Smith was 7 years old, the butterfly made her love racing. When she was 18, it comforted her, as the stroke she could always rely on when others weren't going so well.

Thursday, the stroke closest to Smith's heart carried her to a second-place finish at the Olympic trials—and a second event at the Tokyo Games. Smith, of Lakeville, was second to Hali Flickinger in the women's 200-meter butterfly, earning her second Olympic berth two days after making the U.S. team in the 100 backstroke.

On a 105-degree day in Omaha, Smith and Flickinger burned through the water at CHI Health Center in a torrid duel. Smith led through the first 100 meters before Flickinger, a 2016 Olympian, caught her. Flickinger won in a U.S. Open-record time of two minutes, 5.85 seconds, with Smith second in 2:06.99.

Smith's time made her the fourth-fastest performer in the world this year in the women's 200 butterfly.

Before the race, Smith said it would be "really, really special'' to swim the 200 butterfly at the Olympics, given her longtime affection for it. Afterward, she said she was pleased with the outcome.

"I never thought I would make (the Olympic team) in the 200 fly,'' Smith said. "This is very special. It took a lot of hard work.

"Butterfly has always been the fun one. In backstroke, I put a lot more pressure on myself. I just went out and enjoyed myself through the race (Thursday). I didn't feel pressure.''

Before the trials, Smith felt primed for a big race in the 200 fly. The butterfly was her first love in swimming, she said, even though the backstroke made her a world champion and world record holder.

She has progressed steadily in the event over the past couple of years. While Smith struggled with her backstroke last year, during a summer with no meets and limited access to pools, her butterfly still felt smooth and strong. In May, she finished second to Flickinger in the 200 fly at a Pro Swim Series meet in Indianapolis, with a time of 2:07.59 that made her the eighth-fastest woman in the world this year.

Since 2019, Flickinger was the only American woman to swim faster than Smith's 2:06.39 at a 2020 meet in Des Moines.

"I've worked so hard on that stroke, and I've made so many great strides forward in practice,'' Smith said. "I just hope it comes together. I know truly in my heart if I execute well, I can do something really great.''

At that meet, Smith said she "died a little bit'' at the end of the race. She expected to get faster at the trials, when she would be fully rested.

To be fast enough for a top-two finish, Smith understood she needed to hone in on every detail, rather than thinking about results. During the preliminaries and semifinals, she concentrated on lengthening her stroke. Though Smith thought her first race was "a little tight''—which she expected, since her excitement at making the Olympic team kept her up late the night before—her superb semifinal swim lifted her confidence.

"I think I executed it well,'' she said. "I'm a little off my best yet, but hopefully, that will come (Thursday).''

Her strategy remained the same for the final: to keep her mind on her mechanics, and off of anyone or anything else. Though she came up short of her personal-best time of 2:06.39, that didn't matter.

"I'll take it,'' Smith said. "I did what I needed to do.''

Smith will end the trials with the 200 backstroke, swimming in the preliminaries Friday morning. The semifinals are Friday night, and the finals are Saturday night. She is the world record holder and world champion in that event.