Regan Smith, swimmer with Illinois Valley ties, eyeing gold at Paris Olympics

Smith is world record holder in 100-meter backstroke

World record swimmer Regan Smith, who will compete in four events at the Paris Olympics, poses for a photo with her grandmother, Marge Moore, who lives in Peru. (Photo provided by Bonnie Smith)

July 26, 2024 at 9:09 am CDT

World record swimmer Regan Smith, who will be competing in the Paris Olympics in four events, has family ties to the Illinois Valley.

Her grandmother, Marge Moore, is a resident at Liberty Village in Peru. She also has family in Oglesby and Lostant.

Smith, who is from Lakeville, Minnesota, is the world record holder in the 100-meter backstroke. She first set the world record in 2019 and reclaimed it from Australia’s Kaylee McKeown during the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. She’ll swim the event Monday and Tuesday.

Smith also will compete in the 200 butterfly Wednesday and Thursday, the 200 backstroke Thursday and Friday, and the 4x100 medley relay Aug. 4.

She will be a featured athlete during NBC’s broadcasts. Her father, Paul, and stepmother, Bonnie, who is from the Illinois Valley, will be mic’d up and/or wear heart-rate monitors during Smith’s races as part of NBC’s coverage.

Smith won two silver medals and a bronze at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.