TOKYO, Japan — Minnesota's Regan Smith swims for a medal on Monday night in Tokyo (which is Tuesday morning in Japan).
Smith qualified for the finals of the women's 100m backstroke after setting a new Olympic Record in the semifinals with a time of 57.86 seconds.
The Lakeville native is scheduled to swim in the final at approximately 8:50 p.m. CDT on Monday night. Her race will be seen live on NBC's primetime Olympics coverage on KARE 11.
The 100m backstroke finals will also stream live on the NBC Olympics website (authentication may be require with your TV provider to view):
In March, Smith broke the American record in the 100 yard backstroke and swam the second fastest time of any American woman in the 200 yard fly. She knows she's swimming her best right now, and she won't allow the delays caused by the pandemic to be a reason for not being at her best.
"It's easy to kind of make excuses for myself because if I'm not on my game it's because of everything that happened," Smith told KARE 11's Dave Schwartz in an interview prior to the games. "Everyone had that happen to them."
Not everyone can have a chance to go to the Olympic games, certainly not at 19. Wise beyond her years, Smith knows she needs to savor all of this.
"I really want to live in the moment there and the games. They could easily not have happened at all. And if I am able to make it and perform my best and be happy."
Below, from NBC Olympics: Regan Smith details how her life changed after the pandemic put her Olympic dreams on hold, and how she learned to look ahead to the Tokyo Games.