Michelle Smith

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For the Canadian Author see Michelle Smith (author)

Image:Olympic-rings.png
Women's Swimming
Gold	1996	400m Freestyle
Gold	1996	200m Individual Medley
Gold	1996	400m Individual Medley
Bronze	1996	200m Butterfly

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 swimmer. She was a triple gold medallist at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, for the 400m individual medley, 400m freestyle and 200m individual medley. She also won the bronze medal for the 200m butterfly event. She is the only woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal for Ireland.

Smith's first major championship was competing in the 200m medley and backstroke and 400m 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 at university. With new training techniques she finished fifth in the 200m butterfly at the 1994 World Championships.

In 1995 Smith set Irish records in 50m, 100m, 400m and 800m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 100m and 200m butterfly, and 200m and 400m medley events. She was ranked number 1 in 200m butterfly, sixth in 100m butterfly and seventh in 200m medley; she made sporting history by becoming the first Irishwoman to win a European title in 200m butterfly and the individual 400m 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 of possible foul play from other swimmers, most notably the American Janet Evans, but these were not substantiated at the time. Much of the suspicion stemmed from the fact that her husband and coach, Dutchman Erik de Bruin, 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.

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