In First Season with Tokyo, Leah Smith Enjoys Being Part of Building Something

Tokyo Frog Kings' Leah Smith; Photo Courtesy: Mike Lewis/ISL

Leah Smith had a good idea, before the rosters for the second International Swimming League season were formally announced, that the Tokyo Frog Kings would sneak up on people.

If she had any doubts upon entering the Budapest bubble, they were dispelled pretty quickly into a practice session, when the distance freestyler and two-time Olympic medalist was working out with teammate Suzuka Hasegawa.

“One of the first weeks of practices, we were doing pace together right next to each other and I was doing freestyle and she was doing fly, and she was almost going the same times as me,” Smith told Swimming World Thursday. “I was like, dang, this girl is going to go really fast. So it’s exciting to see that play out.”

The Frog Kings have met the first objective of their inaugural ISL campaign, placing among the top eight teams in the regular season to advance to the semifinals. They netted 10 points from four matches, sixth in the standings. That draws them into the first semifinal, slated for Saturday and Sunday. They need to finish first or second against reigning champ Energy Standard, London Roar and New York Breakers to advance to next week’s final.

Semifinal 2 is Sunday and Monday, pitting Cali Condors, LA Current, Team Iron and Toronto Titans.

The team box of the Tokyo Frog Kings during Match 8; Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu

Smith is one of only two Americans on the Tokyo roster, with Catie DeLoof. Twenty-three of the 32 Frog Kings are Japanese, a main edict followed by general manager Kosuke Kitajima in crafting the franchise. When Kitajima targeted veterans to add, he was looking not just to shore up weakness in stroke specialty but to add ISL experience.

Smith, who swam for the LA Current in 2019, fit perfectly, one of only six Frog Kings with ISL previous experience. It helped that she approached the challenge eager to be part of building something.

“I was really excited at the prospect of joining this team because to me they were building a really strong team but also because I thought it was exciting to build something new,” Smith said. “Other teams had an advantage in terms of, they already had a season and got to recruit much earlier based on people that carried over. But I was really excited with the team we were able to build and happy to be a part of the team.”

Smith didn’t know many of her teammates before this month in the bubble. She’d trained with Ryosuke Irie when the veteran backstroker had visited the U.S. She raced against Yui Ohashi and Chihiro Igarashi at world championships, and she knew some of the non-Japanese internationals.

Her assumption of a leadership role has come while forging new relationships across a language barrier.

“It’s been super fun getting to know everyone,” Leah Smith said. “The first week, I tried to make sure I was in Ryosuke’s lane because he speaks really good English and he could help me kind of translate if I didn’t understand what people were saying and vice versa. I feel like it’s been really fun to get to know people who, I don’t speak their language so I wouldn’t otherwise go up to them at Worlds or something.”

Smith has relied on her NCAA experience, as a 16-time All-American and four-time NCAA champion at the University of Virginia, in navigating the demands of racing in ISL, with matches fast and furious. While her experience with the Current is valuable, she’s learning aspects like life in the bubble and jackpot times in lockstep with teammates.

She’s also relished seeing the rest of the swimming audience learn just how strong so many of the Tokyo swimmers, particularly on the women’s side, are this season.

“I knew how fast the team was, but I felt like maybe we were a little underrated coming into the season,” Smith said. “I do think people got surprised by some things. I wasn’t really surprised. I feel like I knew that the team was really, really strong. People are now seeing that.”

Tokyo’s Leah Smith Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu / ISL

The Frog Kings may not yet be title contenders, hampered by a lack of sprint depth that means they haven’t won a relay in the competition yet. But they lead the way, through 10 regular-season matches, with four swimmers who’ve won each of their four races in an event: Kosuke Hagino in the men’s 400 IM, Ohashi in the women’s 400 IM, Hasegawa in the 200 fly (where she set the ISL record of 2:03.12), and Smith in the 400 free.

Smith, who won bronze at the Rio Olympics in the 400 free plus gold in the 800 free relay, has a skill set that exceeds what ISL tests. The 200 free and 400 free are her only fits (especially given Tokyo’s IM depth), which means she has to maximize what she brings. It’s a departure from when she’s swimming for herself and can end up racing over five freestyle distances plus an IM.

When she’s been in the pool, that’s been four wins from four 400s, including a duel with Siobhan Haughey of Energy Standard last match. Out of the pool, it’s as a constant cheerleader in the team box, keeping the team up and involved.

“I definitely feel a little bummed that I can’t contribute more points to the team than I currently am just because there is a limited amount of things I can swim here,” Leah Smith said. “But I feel like that has given me a chance to hone in on different things in my races and try to really perfect them and just nail in the details. And I do feel like knowing that, at some of the meets I didn’t even swim the second day because we had some pretty strong 200 frees outside of me, those days I made sure that it was a huge priority that I was putting a lot of energy into our team box and making sure that I try to pump everybody up and bring the energy.

“Where I can’t contribute points wise, I’ve tried to contribute in other ways.”

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