The swimmer is on a break now before training ramps up in January, and she will head for a three-stop World Cup competition in China, Korea and Singapore before going to Budapest for World Championships.
Even Olympians face burnout and struggle for motivation, so Smith is pacing herself. She confessed that her alarm Tuesday morning was set for 5:30 a.m. for a swim, but when it went off, she said, “nope” and went back to sleep, getting up three hours later.
“I’m definitely going to take my time before training ramps up again,” she said.
Despite the piles of medals and records, Smith said she’s most proud of the development of her mental relationship with swimming. Smith, who still holds 80 Minnesota swimming records, got her start at age 8, swimming with Apple Valley’s Riptide Swim Club. As a youngster, it was easy to enjoy swimming as she was winning all the time.
As she rose to the international level, it grew harder. With her eye now on the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 and Sydney in 2032, she’s focused on the journey, not the podium.
“I had to realize you’re not always going to win,” she said, “so how can you still feel satisfaction and contentment?” A couple of years ago, she said, she would have been “crushed” at not receiving an individual gold in Paris, but this time it didn’t taint her Olympic experience.