Years of simmering frustration within USA Swimming have finally boiled over, with Olympic champion Regan Smith putting the federation’s former leadership on blast for what she calls a culture of empty promises.

The 23-year-old leveled accusations against the federation and former National Team Director Lindsay Mintenko, claiming that they betrayed her training group in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics by purposefully excluding coach Erik Posegay from the coaching staff due to personal grudges and hidden agendas.

Expanding her criticism to include the entire culture of the organization’s previous leadership, Smith is now making her case. As reported by Swim Updates on X, Smith opened up on the previous USA Swimming leadership, delivering a blunt assessment of their approach.

“Historically, there’s just been so much performative, ‘Yeah, we’ve got your back, we’re going to help you through all of this,’ and they don’t do s**t for us,” said Smith.

The position of USA Swimming’s National Team Managing Director was vacated by Lindsay Mintenko on September 20, 2024. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the athletes and coaches of USA Swimming and will forever be proud of their accomplishments. I learned from them every day, from the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships trip to the 2024 Olympic Games. I will now be the loudest one in the stands, cheering for the athletes and coaches who have inspired so many people,” Mintenko said when resigning.

While she did it with a simple announcement, reports link her exit to pressure and dissatisfaction within the swimming community. Previously, Smith also recalled a specific instance where interim CEO Bob Vincent required athletes to attend a post-Trials meet “against our will,” highlighting a disconnect between leadership decisions and athlete welfare.

These experiences paint a picture of an athlete who feels the system often creates unnecessary hurdles rather than smoothing the path to performance. But even though she faced a number of challenges behind the scenes, she didn’t let any of it affect her in the pool.

Regan Smith delivered under pressure for Team USA

A five-medal haul that solidified Regan Smith’s position as one of the world’s finest swimmers capped off a very successful and momentous 2024 Olympic campaign in Paris.

Individually, she won two silver medals, in the 100-meter backstroke and the 200-meter butterfly. She also became the first woman in Olympic history to win medals in all three of these events in the same competition.

“I really enjoy it. I like how I go from a long axis stroke to a short axis stroke, and they use different muscle groups. I also enjoy the fact that there’s a completely different field of women in both events. It’s fun to compete against a very wide range of talent,” she said.

Smith then helped the United States win two gold medals in the 4×100-meter medley relay as a member of the winning women’s and mixed relay teams. After her last solo race, the 200-meter backstroke, in which she was barely beaten by competitor Kaylee McKeown, Smith was incredibly proud of her accomplishments and development.

She said, “I think if I’d gotten a silver medal and been a second slower, I would have been really disappointed in myself. That’s one of my fastest times ever, and I really gave Kaylee a run for her money. I made things close and exciting. I’m thrilled with it.”