Swimmer Leah Smith already has a bronze medal. She comes from a very athletic, very competitive family, but they’re also very supportive of each other.
Smith’s parents are in Rio for the Olympic Games. Channel 11’s Gordon Loesch spoke to her father.
“She couldn’t have more support from a family,” said Dan Smith. “She has notoriously slow start, so I usually put my head in my hands for the first 50 meters until somebody tells me she’s back in the hunt, she’s back in the lead.”
Leah Smith has been dreaming of this since she was a little kid. Her father remembers when she was 13 and came home from a swim practice.
“It was not ‘I want to go to the Olympics' or 'I hope someday.’ It was matter of fact. I am going to the Olympics. I knew at that point, but I didn’t know what I was in for.”
Before Leah left for the Olympics, her dad says the family sent her a care package. He included a short note.
It read, “You’ve done everything. You’ve put in the hard work. You believe in yourself, and you enjoy what you are doing. Have fun. Enjoy yourself.”
Leah’s family will cheer her on in the 4x200-meter relay. She’ll swim with her friends Katie Ledecky and Missy Franklin.