Having made her decision to come out of retirement, Smith now wants to freshen things up and “try something new”.
That means a change to the 50m breaststroke, an event which has just been added to the Olympic schedule for the first time ahead of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t I try? Why don’t I give myself that challenge? Reinvent myself’,” said Smith.
“I always try and describe it to someone that maybe doesn’t understand swimming; it’s like a 400m runner and a 100m [runner]. It’s two different body types, two different trainings, and that’s where I’m going.”
It means she has more than halved her training volume, with three sessions a week instead of eight – a change she believes will help her retain her love for her sport and live a more balanced life.
“I feel like I’m being so lazy because I used to do 12km per day and now the focus is on taking time to be as explosive as possible.
“Now I’m doing 12km over a whole week.
“I have 20 years of endurance in my pocket, but I can definitely see I don’t have those fast twitch [muscle] fibres. It’s a whole different way of teaching my body how to swim.”
Those initial 20 years in the pool left Smith feeling burned out.
Now she says she has earned the right to do things on her terms.
“Swimming was an opportunity given to me by my parents and I believe I took it on full heartedly.
“But, for the first time, it’s my decision whether I want to come back. I’m choosing swimming.
“I’ve achieved way more than I ever dreamed in my whole life, so I have nothing to prove.”