Lakeville’s Regan Smith entered the 100 backstroke at the Olympics as the event’s world record holder and, thus, the swimmer to beat.

That remains true through the event semifinals, though her “rival” is directly in her rearview mirror.

After coasting through the heats in the morning with a time of 58.45 seconds Monday in Paris, Smith cranked it up a notch in the semifinals, touching the wall in 57.97 seconds to win her semifinal. That was the top time in the round, two-hundredths of a second faster than Australia’s Kaylee McKeown.

McKeown is the defending Olympic gold medalist in the event, while Smith claimed bronze in 2021. The two have traded the world record back and forth over the years, with Smith regaining the mark at the Olympic Trials, when she turned in a time of 57.13 seconds.

McKeown edged Smith for gold at the 2023 World Championships.

Smith’s U.S. teammate, Katharine Berkoff, had the third-fastest time in the semifinals, finishing behind only McKeown in her semifinal with a time of 58.27 seconds. Finishing in second in Smith’s semifinal was Canadian Kylie Masse, who claimed the silver in this event in 2021.

Smith is in search of her first Olympic gold medal. The 100 backstroke final is set for 1:56 p.m. CDT on Tuesday. It’s Smith’s first final of the Paris Games, with relay swims, the 200 backstroke and the 200 butterfly still to come later this week.