Leanne Smith

Quick Facts

• Daughter of Mark and Kay Smith. Has five brothers: Ryan, Eric, Matthew, William and Bobby
• In 2010, Smith experienced a sudden onset of facial paralysis and numbness, as well as tingling and weakness on her left side
• She spent the next five months in the hospital as doctors tried to figure out the cause of her symptoms
• She was diagnosed with a rare neurological muscle disease called dystonia in January 2012
• She began swimming in 2013 as part of an aquatic rehabilitation session recommended by her physiotherapist
• In August 2014, she encountered a setback when she began experiencing seizures and was hospitalized for two months
• In 2017, as a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she set the American, Pan Am and world record in the S4 50-meter butterfly at the 2017 U.S. Paralympic Swimming World Championships Trials
• Was named to the U.S. Women’s Sled Hockey developmental team in 2015.

Paralympic Experience

• 2-time Paralympian; 5-time Paralympic medalist (2 gold, 3 silver)
  • Paralympic Games Paris 2024, gold (100m Freestyle S3 - Women, 50m Freestyle S4 - Women), silver (4 x 50m Freestyle Relay 20 Points - Mixed, 4 x 50m Medley Relay 20 Points - Mixed), 9th (150m Individual Medley SM4 - Women, 50m Breaststroke SB3 - Women)
  • Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, silver (100m Freestyle S3 - Women), 5th (150m Individual Medley SM4 - Women, 50m Breaststroke SB3 - Women), 6th (50m Backstroke S3 - Women)

World Championships Experience

• Most recent: 2025 - gold (50m freestyle S3 - Women, 200m freestyle S3 - Women); silver (50m Backstroke S3 - Women, 150m IM SM3 - Women), bronze (4x50m medley relay 20 pts - Mixed, 4x50m Freestyle Relay 20 pts - Mixed) 
• Years of participation: 100m Freestyle S3 - Women 2019, 2022, 2023; 150m Individual Medley SM3 - Women 2022, 2023, 2025; 200m Freestyle S3 - Women 2022, 2023; 50m Backstroke S3 - Women 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025; 50m Breaststroke SB3 - Women 2019, 2022, 2023; 50m Freestyle S3 - Women 2022, 2023, 2025; 200m Freestyle S4 - Women 2022; 200m Freestyle S3 - Women 2025; 4 x 50m Medley Relay 20 Points - Mixed 2022, 2025; 150m Individual Medley SM4 - Women 2019; 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay 20 Points - Mixed 2017, 2025; 50m Butterfly S5 - Women 2017; 50m Freestyle S4 - Women 2017
• Medals: 18 (12 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze)
  • Gold – 2025 (50m Freestyle S3 - Women, 200m Freestyle S3 - Women); 2022 (100m Freestyle S3 - Women, 150m Individual Medley SM3 - Women, 200m Freestyle S3 - Women, 4 x 50m Medley Relay 20 Points - Mixed, 50m Backstroke S3 - Women, 50m Breaststroke SB3 - Women, 50m Freestyle S3 - Women); 2019 (100m Freestyle S3 - Women, 150m Individual Medley SM4 - Women, 50m Breaststroke SB3 - Women)
  • Silver –  2025 (50m Backstroke S3 - Women, 150m IM SM3 - Women); 2019 (50m Backstroke S3 - Women)
  • Bronze – 2025 (4x50m medley relay 20 pts - Mixed, 4x50m Freestyle Relay 20 pts - Mixed); 2023 (200m Freestyle S3 - Women)