Graham Smith (Canadian swimmer)

For the Scottish swimmer, born 1976, see Graeme Smith (swimmer). For the Bermuda swimmer, born 1982, see Graham Smith (Bermudian swimmer).

Graham Smith

Personal information
Full name	Donald Graham Smith
National team	Canada
Born	(1958-05-09) May 9, 1958 (age 67) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Breaststroke, medley
Club	South Side Swim Club Calgary Dinos, Calgary (CAN)
College team	U. Cal. Berkeley University of Calgary
Coach	Nort Thornton (Berkeley) Deryk Snelling (U. of Calgary)
Medal record Men's swimming Representing   Canada Olympic Games 1976 Montreal 4x100 m medley World Championships (LC) 1978 Berlin 200 m medley 1978 Berlin 100 m breaststroke Pan American Games 1979 San Juan 200 m medley 1979 San Juan 4x100 m medley 1979 San Juan 100 m breaststroke Commonwealth Games 1978 Edmonton 100 m breaststroke 1978 Edmonton 200 m breaststroke 1978 Edmonton 200 m medley 1978 Edmonton 400 m medley 1978 Edmonton 4x100 m medley 1978 Edmonton 4x100 m freestyle Summer Universiade 1977 Sofia 100 m breaststroke 1977 Sofia 200 m breaststroke

Donald Graham Smith (born May 9, 1958) is a Canadian former multi-stroke swimming competitor who swam for the University of California Berkeley, and the University of Calgary and won a silver in the 4x 100-meter freestyle relay at 1976 Montreal Olympics representing Canada. He is a former world record holder. Considered one of Canada's most outstanding swimmers in the 1970's, Smith won 56 gold, 23 silver, and 8 bronze medals during his career in national, world championship and Olympic competitions. ^{[1] [2]}

Smith was born May 9, 1958, in Edmunton, Alberta. Part of an athletic family, his brother George and sister Becky also competed in swimming. At ten, he swam for the South Side Swim Club, breaking a national age group record in the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:29.1 in January 1969 at the Alberta Indoor Swimming Championships. Beginning in 1973, he swam for the Canadian National Team. ^[3] He joined Canada's National Team in 1973. ^[2]

Collegiate career

In the Fall of 1976, Smith began attending the University of California Berkeley where he swam under Hall of Fame Coach Nort Thornton. In December, 1976, as an elite multi-stroke competitor in his Freshman year, he was rated the third fastest in the world in the 100 meter breaststroke, fourth fastest in the 200 meter breaststroke, and eighth fastest in both the 200 and 400 Individual Medley. ^[4] He became the first Canadian to win an NCAA triple in 1979, taking both three gold medals and a relay title in one year, and leading Berkeley to the NCAA National Championships. Berkeley won the 1980 NCAA team championships again in 1980. ^[5] During his time at Berkeley, he won an NCAA national swimming championship. ^{[6] [2]} Moving closer to home, he completed his education and swam for Hall of Fame Coach Deryk Snelling, ^[7] at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, where Smith would help lead the Calgary team to additional national titles. Snelling, in his remarkable career, would serve as a Coach to the Canadian National team at six Olympic games, including four times as Head Coach. ^{[8] [1]}

1976 Montreal Olympics

Smith won a silver medal in the men's 4x100-metre medley relay at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, where his team swam a combined time of 3:45.94. He did so alongside teammates Stephen Pickell, Clay Evans and Gary MacDonald. The Americans, as the heavy favorites, who took the gold in the 4x100 with a world record time of 3:42.22, had already set a new world record in the semi-final round of 3:47.28. In the leadoff backstroke leg, American John Nabor put the American team to an insurmountable lead. ^[2]

Smith finished fourth in the 100 metre breaststroke with a time of 1:04.26, only .23 seconds away from bronze medal contention. He placed fourth again in the 200 metre breaststroke with a time of 2:19.42, only .22 seconds away from contending for the bronze medal from Rick Collela of the U.S. team. He placed fifth in the 400 metre individual medley with a time of 4:28.64, with Americans claiming both the Gold and Silver medals. Smith's coach at the University of Calgary, Deryk Snelling, would serve as the Canadian team's head coach in 1976. ^{[2] [9]}

International swimming highlights

1978 Commonwealth Games

At the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta, Smith became the first competitor to win six gold medals at a single Commonwealth Games; he won the 100- and 200-metre breaststroke, 200- and 400-metre individual medleys, and was part of the winning 4x100-metre freestyle and 4x100-metre medley relay teams. Smith twice broke the world record in the men's 200-metre individual medley (long course). ^[2]

At the 1979 Summer Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he won silvers in the 200 m medley and 4×100 m medley relay and a bronze medal in the 100 m breaststroke. At the 1977 Summer Universiade in Sofia, he won two gold medals in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke events and a silver in the 4×100 m medley relay. At the 1978 World Aquatics Championships in West Berlin, he won a gold in the 200 m medley, and a silver in the 100 m breaststroke. ^[2]

He set a Long Course World Record in swimming on in the 200 metre medley in Long Course Swimming of 2:03.56 on 24 August 1978, in West Berlin, Germany. ^[2]

Taking off a year from college to train for the 1980 Summer Olympics, he lost his chance to participate when the games were boycotted by Canada. Though he had been considered Canada's greatest swimmer, in 1982 he formally left competitive swimming, and served as a coach for several years before earning an MBA from St. Mary’s College of California. In 2013 he owned a Canadian consulting firm in British Columbia. ^[2]

Honors

Smith was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1978. He was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Aquatic Hall of Fame in 1986, as his countrymen were likely pleased he finished his education and swimming career at the University of Calgary in his native Canada in addition to representing his country so successfully at the 1976 Olympics and international competitions.<refname=CSHOF/> ^[10]

See also

• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• List of University of California, Berkeley alumni
• World record progression 200 metres individual medley

References

1. "Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, Graham Smith". halloffamers.sportshall.ca. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
2. "Olympedia Olympic Bio, Graham Smith". olympedia.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
3. Jones, Terry, "Two National Records Rewritten by Young Edmonton Swimmers", Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, Alberta, January 27, 1969, pg. 18
4. Matheson, Jim, "Smith Making Waves in International Pool", Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, Alberta, December 10, 1976, pg. 53
5. "NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships". ncaa.com. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
6. "Nort Thornton (USA): 1995 Honor Coach". International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021.
7. Slade, Daryl, "Second Best Won't Wash", Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alberta, September 22, 1960, pg. A7
8. "Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, Graham Smith". halloffamers.sportshall.ca. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
9. "Canadian Swimming Coaches Association Biography". csca.org. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
10. "Graham Smith, 1978". Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.

External links

• Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Graham Smith". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2009-08-13.

Records
Preceded by David Wilkie Steve Lundquist	Men's 200-metre individual medley world record-holder August 23, 1975 – August 4, 1977 August 2 – 24, 1978	Succeeded by Aleksandr Sidorenko Jesse Vassallo