Smith earns third-place finish at Olympic Trials
Mt. Lebanon native Leah Smith took third place in the 400-meter freestyle and finished fourth in the 400 individual medley during the U.S. Olympic Trials held June 13-20 at the CHI Health Center Arena in Omaha, Neb.
The top finishers per individual event and up to the top six freestylers for relays qualified to make the national squad that will compete in the Summer Games to be held July 23 through Aug. 7 in Tokyo, Japan.
Though she put up the fastest time (1:57.52) in the qualifying heats, Smith finished eighth in the finals of the 200 free with a 1:58.13 time.
Katie Ledecky won the event in 1:55.11, beating Allison Schmitt, who clocked a 1:56.79. Ledecky also claimed first in the 400 with a time of 4:01.27 and 1,500, an event in which Smith did not compete in to focus on her last opportunity to qualify for the Olympics.
Smith was seeded second in the 800 free, an event in which Ledecky is the defending Olympic champion.
Prelims and semifinals for the 800 were scheduled for June 18 and the finals set for June 19. The race was held too late to be published in this edition.
Smith competed in the 2016 Summer Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She earned a bronze medal in the 400 free and a gold medal as a member of the 4×200 free relay. She also finished eighth in the 800 free.
Before joining the LA Current ISL team, led by general manager Lenny Krayzelburg and being named to the USA Swimming National Team, Smith enjoyed a decorated career at the University of Virginia and Oakland Catholic.
For the Cavaliers, she set school records in the 500, 1,00 and 1,650 freestyles. Her best event is probably the 500 free, where she is the second-fastest U.S. swimmer ever in the event.
For the Eagles, she dominated the distance freestyle races, setting district and state records.
Smith comes from a family of elite athletes. Her great uncle, Billy Conn, was a World Light Heavyweight boxing champion and her great grandfather, Jimmy, was a World Series champion. She is the daughter of Margee and Dan Smith, a former pole vaulter at the University of Virginia. Her sister, Aileen, swam for Columbia. She also has two brothers, Daniel and Neal.