Lakeville teen Regan Smith wins title at world swimming championships
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Lakeville's Regan Smith won the women's 200-meter backstroke title Saturday at the world swimming championships in South Korea, a day after setting the world record in the event.
The 17-year-old won the gold medal with a time of 2 minutes, 3.69 seconds — the second-fastest time in history, behind only the 2:03.55 she swam in Friday's semifinal.
"To be 2:03 two nights in a row -- I was super, super stoked," Smith said.
She was on pace to lower the world record again in the final before fading on the last lap.
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"I really went for it on the first hundred," Smith said. "It hurt really bad going home, but I'm really glad that I gave it my all two nights in a row."
Smith's winning margin of 2.57 seconds over Kaylee McKeown of Australia was the biggest gap between first and second since 1991. Kylie Masse of Canada took bronze.
Meanwhile, Caeleb Dressel made history — again — at the world swimming championships.
The American won three gold medals in a span of about two hours Saturday night, duplicating his feat from two years ago in Budapest, Hungary.
Dressel has six golds and seven medals overall with one night remaining in the meet. He tied Michael Phelps' record of seven medals — all gold — at a single worlds in 2017.
"It was not easy in '17, it was not easy this year," the 22-year-old Floridian said. "I don't want it to be easy, I really don't."
He capped his momentous night by leading off the victorious mixed 4x100-meter freestyle relay. Dressel joined Zach Apple, Mallory Comerford and Simone Manuel in setting a world record of 3 minutes, 19.40 seconds.
That lowered the mark of 3:19.60 set by the U.S. in 2017.
Manuel dueled with Australian anchor Bronte Campbell over the final 50. The American clocked 52 seconds to Campbell's 52.36 to keep Dressel golden.
"I had a lot of help on that relay," he said, pointing out that his 100 split of 47.34 would only have been good enough for bronze in the individual event. "Every time I do a race I always look for the bad."
There wasn't much to criticize on this night.
Dressel opened the evening with a win in the 50 free to complete a 50-100 free sweep. He touched in 21.04 seconds, bettering the championship record of 21.08 set by Brazil's Cesar Cielo at the 2009 worlds in Rome during the height of the rubber suit era.
Bruno Fratus of Brazil and Kristian Gkolomeev of Greece tied for silver in 21.45.
Coming back just 34 minutes later, Dressel won the 100 fly in 49.66 a night after breaking Phelps' world record in the semifinals.
"Caeleb was amazing," said South Africa's Chad le Clos, the bronze medalist in the fly.
On his three trips to the podium, Dressel tied a bandanna belonging to his late high school mentor onto the ribbon holding his medal. He stood with his right hand over his heart for the U.S. anthem.
"She loved me and I loved her, it's as simple as that," Dressel said, referring to math teacher Claire McCool, who died in December 2017. "That bandanna is just the last piece I have of her. I just wanted to bring her along for the journey."
Dressel wraps up his meet Sunday in the 4x100 medley relay.
"I'll be ready to swim one tomorrow and swim one fast," he said.
Katie Ledecky won her first gold medal in her final event of an illness-plagued worlds, rallying on the last lap to claim the 800 free.
"That girl's tough as nails," Dressel said.