Michelle Smith

: For the Canadian Author see Michelle Smith (author)

Michelle Smith (born on December 16, 1969 in Rathcoole County Dublin), now more commonly referred to by her married name, Michelle de Bruin, is an Irish former swimmer. She was a controversial triple gold medallist at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, for the 400 m individual medley, 400 m freestyle and 200 m individual medley. She also won the bronze medal for the 200 m butterfly event. She is the only woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal exclusively for Ireland.

Career

Smith's first major championship was competing in the 200 m medley and backstroke and 400 m medley in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. In 1993 she came under the wing of Erik de Bruin, Dutch shot and discus record holder, whom she had met in Barcelona. With new training techniques she finished fifth in the 200m butterfly at the 1994 World Championships.

In 1995 Smith set Irish records in 50 m, 100 m, 400 m and 800 m freestyle, 100 m backstroke, 100 m and 200 m butterfly, and 200 m and 400 m medley events. She was ranked number 1 in 200 m butterfly, sixth in 100 m butterfly and seventh in 200 m medley; she made sporting history by becoming the first Irishwoman to win a European title in 200 m butterfly and the individual 400 m medley in the same year.

She was single-handedly responsible for Ireland's second largest ever medal haul at one Olympics. Originally her application to compete at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta was rejected but later accepted on appeal. Smith's unexpected success led to hints from other swimmers of possible foul play, most notably the American Janet Evans, but these were not substantiated at the time. Much of the suspicion stemmed from the fact that Erik de Bruin, by this time her husband, had served a four-year ban during his discus career after testing positive for illegal levels of testosterone.

Two years after the Atlanta Games, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) banned Smith for four years. A common misconception is that she tested positive for a banned substance; in fact, the ban was imposed after a urine sample taken during a routine random drug test was found to be contaminated with alcohol, though this was not explained then or since. Although she was not stripped of her medals, she lost most of her popularity.

Smith appealed the ban, but it was upheld. Her experiences at the Court of Arbitration for Sport had an effect beyond her swimming career. It was there that she developed an interest in the law; after officially announcing her retirement from swimming in 1999, she returned to university, graduating from University College Dublin with a degree in law. In July 2005 she was conferred with the degree of Barrister at Law of King's Inns, Dublin.