University of Minnesota Athletics
Smith Advances to 200 Breaststroke Final
8/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Canadian Kierra Smith has advanced to the Olympic 200-meter breaststroke final. The only current Gophers student-athlete competing in Rio is the second ever Olympic finalist from the women's swimming team, and seeks to become the program's first women's swimmer to win a medal.
In Wednesday night's semifinal, Smith was just .05 seconds off her personal-record time. She touched fourth in her semifinal in 2:22.87 and awaited the results of the second race. Smith has the eighth seed for Thursday's final, which is scheduled to begin at 8:17 p.m. CT.
Smith won her preliminary heat in the afternoon. She had the lead at both the 100- and 150-meter turns, and touched in 2:23.69 to finish first. Smith brought the sixth seed into the night semifinals.
Before Smith, only one University of Minnesota women's swimmer had qualified for an Olympic final. Olga Splichalova finished sixth in the 800-meter freestyle in 1992. Diver Kelci Bryant is currently the women's aquatics program's lone medalist, with a silver in 3-meter synchronized diving in 2012.
Smith's final will come three days after a fellow Gopher's bronze medal swim. Minnesota alum David Plummer captured bronze in the 100-meter backstroke to become the men's aquatics program's first American medalist since 1972.
Smith is one of seven Gophers competing in Rio this summer and among the dozens of Gopher Olympians to compete over the Games' history. Please help support the next Gopher Olympian by giving to our Olympic sports programs. Click here for more information or to give today.
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