CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—Virginia senior swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Leah Smith is set to represent the United States at the FINA Short Course World Championships, to be held Dec. 6-11 at the Family Aquatic Complex in Windsor, Ontario.
Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is scheduled to compete in four events, including the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyle individual events, as well as the 4x200m freestyle relay. The 200m free prelims and final will be contested on Dec. 6. The 800m free prelims will run Dec. 7, while the final will be the next day, Dec. 8. The 400m free prelims and finals will be on Dec. 9 and finally, the 4x200m free relay prelims and final will be held on Dec. 10.
Smith captured Olympic gold as part of the United States’ 4x200m free relay in Rio de Janeiro and earned bronze in the 400m free individual event. In addition, she finished sixth in the 800m free. She was the first female Cavalier swimmer to earn two Olympic medals. Smith also captured gold with the U.S. 4x200m free relay at the 2015 FINA World Championships and the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships.
At Virginia, Smith is a four-time NCAA Champion, winning the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle events in both 2015 and 2016. She is an 11-time All-American and 10-time ACC Champion.
This season, Smith has already automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 500 free with a time of 4:32.52, which ranks second in the nation. Smith also holds the second-fastest 1,000 free time and the seventh-fastest 200 free time.
As a result of competing in the FINA Short Course World Championships, Smith will not be competing for UVA at the Georgia Fall Invitational in Athens, Ga., Dec. 2-4.
News courtesy of Virginia Athletics.
Wow! I hope she has a great meet.