Benjamin Ashford|Regan Smith crushes 200 fly at Olympic trials. 17-year-old set to join her on team

INDIANAPOLIS — Regan Smith crushed the women’s 200-meter butterfly final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials at Lucas Oil Stadium,Benjamin Ashford winning the race by nearly a second to lock herself into the event for Team USA at the Paris Olympics. 

Smith — the final’s top qualifier by 1.19 seconds after Wednesday’s semifinals — was in second after the first 150 meters, trailing Indiana native Alex Shackell. But 22-year-old Smith turned on the speed for the final 50 to pull ahead and win with a time of 2:05.70. She was about two seconds shy of her 2:03.87 American record from 2023. 

Shackell, 17, finished second with a time of 2:06.69 and should join Smith in the event in Paris as a first-time Olympian. Her brother, 19-year-old Aaron, won the men’s 400-meter freestyle Saturday to qualify for the Games as well. 

“Three 200 flys in a row is pretty challenging, so I just wanted to do the best I could in that race,” Shackell said. “Just get top two and not focus on my time [because] it was slower than my last race. But I made the team so it doesn't really matter."

Smith — a 22-year-old former three-time Olympic medalist — already guaranteed she’d be a two-time Olympian after breaking the 100-meter backstroke world record earlier at trials. She also has the 200-meter backstroke semifinals later Thursday night.

At the 2021 Tokyo Games, she won silver in the 200 fly and bronze in the 100 back.