Mt. Lebanon swimmer going to Olympics
Leah Smith of Mt. Lebanon has qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
During Monday night’s action at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, held at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb., the University of Virginia rising senior placed second in the women’s 400-meter freestyle.
The daughter of Margee and Dan Smith finished at 4:00.65, a time that ranks second in the world this year. Smith is now the fourth-fastest all-time performer in the event.
Katie Ledecky, the world record holder, finished first in 3:58.98. Earlier in the day, Smith won her heat and placed second overall in the prelims at 4:03.14. Smith’s previous best time before June 27 was 4:03.33, set at the Arena Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis in early June.
On the University of Virginia website, assistant coach Cory Chitwood enthused about how proud the school is of Smith and acknowledged the work she had done and still has to do.
“She has worked for that swim every day she has showed up to the pool,” Chitwood said. “On to Rio, but first let’s have some more fast swims.”
Smith also is entered in the 200- and 800-meter free events. The finals for the 200 are set for June 29, and the 800 is set for July 2. NBC Sports Net streams the action live. Local coverage begins nightly at 8 on WPXI.
Smith is a four-time NCAA champion, winning the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle events in 2015 and 2016. She is an 11-time All-American and 10-time ACC Champion.
Smith represented the United States at the 2015 FINA World Championships and the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, winning gold with the 4-by-200-meter freestyle relay. Smith also won gold in the event, as well as the 400-meter free at the 2015 World University Games.