Today he is an eight-time Olympic medalist. Regan Smith tied together Coleman Hodges on the SwimSwam podcast this week. In the nearly hour-and-a-half-long interview, Smith touched on a variety of topics, including her changing mindset about preparing for the Paris Olympics and swimming the 100m butterfly at the U.S. Olympic Qualifiers.
Smith also talked about her training plans for the next few months. Robert Bowman was named director of swimming at the University of Texas, there was a lot of movement among both professional and collegiate swimmers. Smith was one of the pro swimmers who followed Bowman to Austin, but sparked some rumors when she shared an Instagram story from Tempe.
Smith told the SwimSwam podcast that she is currently in Tempe and her lease in Austin has started, but she is “in no rush to do anything.” She is enjoying living in the same apartment complex with friends while she “sorts out loose ends” in Tempe.
“I’m starting back up very slowly because I enjoy swimming and don’t like being away from it for too long, but I’m not going to kill myself with anything,” Smith said, explaining that ASU head coach Herbie Behm left the door open for her at ASU and she trained with the ASU women’s team while in town.
As for her fall schedule, Smith said she has decided to compete in the fall World Cup, which will be her first time competing on the tour since she was a junior swimmer.
“I need to be in good shape for that,” Smith said, “but I’m not going to kill myself preparing for a spectacular World Cup performance. I’m just more excited about traveling, being busy and doing my thing for a few months – just enjoying the first year of quads and not being tied down somewhere.”
She also said that she is thinking about competing in the Short Course World Championships later this year and that, although she has not committed yet, she believes short course could be her “sweet spot.”
Watch the full podcast below on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Smith discusses her training and schedule for the rest of 2024 from 1:12.04 to 1:16.30.
