Red Deer’s Rebecca Smith has started off the 16th FINA (International Swimming Federation) World Swimming Championships with a bang.
On the first day of the international competition in Melbourne, Australia, Smith helped Canada win its second bronze medal.
The 22-year-old was part of the four-person team who won bronze in the women’s 4x100 metre freestyle relay on Tuesday with a time of 3:28.06.
The Canadians finished 2.63 seconds behind the Australians who won gold and 1.77 seconds behind the silver medal-winning Americans. Smith, who was first up for her team, finished her portion of the race in 52.68 seconds.
Historically Smith has seen a lot of success in the World Swimming Championships and has won five total medals. In 2021 she accomplished gold medals in both the 4x100m and the 4x200m freestyle relay in Abu Dhabi.
In July of this year, Smith took home the bronze in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay at the 22nd Commonwealth Games in Great Britain with a time of 3:24.86. She also won her first Olympic silver medal in Tokyo in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
The championships go from Dec. 13-18.