Red Deer's Rebecca Smith on day one of the recent Canadian Olympic Trials in Toronto. (Swimming Canada/Daniel Harrison)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

looking forward to soaking it all in

Red Deer’s Rebecca Smith headed to Paris for second Olympic Games

May 23, 2024 | 6:13 PM

Olympic silver medallist and proud Red Deerian, Rebecca Smith, has qualified to once again compete on the world’s biggest stage, this summer in France.

After a strong showing at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Toronto last week, Smith is locked in to compete in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay in Paris when the Games take place July 26-August 11. That’s the same event she medalled in three years ago.

She’ll also be an option for the coaches to slot into other relays.

Speaking to rdnewsNOW, Smith says representing Canada at the Olympics will undoubtedly be different the second time around.

“It’s always such an honour, just being on the world stage and at the pinnacle of my sport. It’s pretty crazy to think about,” she says. “Tokyo was an amazing experience, but there were so many restrictions because of COVID. We couldn’t go see other sports, and we had to be careful about who we were hanging out with.”

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She names beach volleyball and track & field as two events she’s eager to see.

What’s better is that her parents, brother and sister will all be tagging along to cheer her on.

Swimming gets going the day after the opening ceremony, July 27, meaning the swim team won’t take it in, at least not in-person, in order to avoid all the walking and standing involved, and to keep fresh. But the closing ceremony, and much more, are in the cards as she’ll be sticking around Paris the entire two weeks.

Back in 2021, at what were actually the pandemic-delayed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Smith also placed 4th in the 4x200m freestyle and 13th in the 4x100m mixed medley.

Rebecca Smith is seen here in August 2021 with her Tokyo Olympics silver medal, during a visit to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in her hometown of Red Deer. (rdnewsNOW file photo)

Until 15, Smith was a member of Red Deer’s Catalina Swim Club; she then moved to Toronto for training with the national team, and now swims with Calgary’s Cascade Swim Club. The club also boasts Canadian Olympians Ingrid Wilm and Yuri Kisil, which has helped push the limits in training.

Wilm and Smith comprised half of the bronze-medal winning team in the 4x100m medley relay at the World Aquatics Championship this past February in Doha, Qatar.

Since Tokyo, Smith has completed a nursing degree at the University of Calgary, juggling that alongside training to be an Olympian.

She says showing people that it’s possible to accomplish such a thing means a lot.

“These last few years with nursing school have been challenging, I won’t lie. I’ve been training seven to eight times a week in the pool, and with weights three times a week. I had multiple classes, and three or four eight-hour shifts at the hospital. It was very intense,” she admits.

“I’m super grateful for everyone at the U of C who helped me and motivated me to reach my goals of making this Olympics team. I wasn’t sure if it was actually possible.”

As for Smith’s swimming career, the 24-year-old admits this is very possibly her last kick at the proverbial Olympics can, but a final decision will come later and, as she says, “in the moment.”

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