Vicki Smith

At the age of 13, butterfly swimmer Vicki Smith set both the Irish junior and senior 100 yards records and followed that by winning both national titles. It was hardly surprising that Smith would become the star of Irish swimming in the second half of the 1960s, because her father Jack was a national coach. Vicki went on to win many junior and senior Irish titles and in 1968 booked her place on the Mexico Olympic squad after finishing second in the 220 yards butterfly at the 1968 British ASA Championships. At the time of The Games, she had six senior Irish 100 and 200 yards titles to her name.

There was some doubt that Smith would compete once she got to Mexico because she displaced a bone in her leg, which had to be put in plaster and she had to miss training. She did take part in the 100 and 200 metres fly, however, and put in a great performance in finishing second in her 200 heat to the eventual bronze medallist Ellie Daniel of the USA. Smith was eventually classified 11th out of 21 starters.

The year after the Olympics, Smith returned to Blackpool for the ASA Championships and became the first home based Irish swimmer to win a women’s ASA title when she captured the 220. Also in 1969, she finished third in both the ASA 110 yards butterfly and freestyle. Smith retained her 220 title in 1970 and went to that year’s European Championships in Barcelona, and reached the 200 metres butterfly final. Smith retired at the end of the 1972 season at the age of 20.