Michelle Smith
Encyclopedia
Michelle Smith (born 16 December 1969 in Rathcoole
, County Dublin
, now more commonly referred to by her married name, Michelle de Bruin) is a retired Irish
swimmer and practising Irish barrister. She was a triple gold medal
list at the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta, for the 400 m individual medley
, 400 m freestyle
and 200 m individual medley. She also won the bronze medal
for the 200 m butterfly
event.
Significant controversy followed these victories, particularly after U.S.
swimmer Janet Evans
at a press conference accused Smith of doping
immediately following Evans' defeat. These accusations have never been proven. However, as David Wallechinsky
writes in his Complete Book of the Summer Olympics series, doubts about Smith involved the fact that no Irish swimmer had ever won an Olympic medal and that Smith's previous Olympic record had been "mediocre". Suspicions about her suddenly improving performances at an age considered to be late in a swimmer's career had been raised earlier, following her medal wins at the 1995 European Championships. Moreover, her husband and coach, Erik de Bruin
, a Dutch discus
and shot put
thrower, had failed a drug test in 1993 and had been suspended from competition.
Smith later received a four-year suspension in 1998 after being found guilty of tampering with a urine sample. The ban was imposed after a urine sample taken during a routine random drug test was found to be contaminated with alcohol. The bodybuilding drug Androstenedione
was also found in her samples.
but failed to progress beyond the heats of the four events into which she was entered. Smith's second major championship was at the 1991 World Championships
in Perth, Australia, where she finished 13th in the 400 m individual medley. She competed at the 1991 European Championships and qualified for the 1992 Olympic Games. She competed in the 200 m medley and backstroke and 400 m medley in the 1992 Olympics
in Barcelona, Spain
, despite suffering an injury in the months leading up to the Games. In 1993 she came under the wing of Erik de Bruin, whom she had met in Barcelona. With new training techniques she finished fifth in the 200 m butterfly at the 1994 World Championships
.
In 1995, Smith set Irish records in 50 m, 100 m, 400 m and 800 m freestyle
, 100 m backstroke, 100 m and 200 m butterfly
, and 200 m and 400 m medley events. She was ranked number 1 in 200 m butterfly, sixth in 100 m butterfly and seventh in 200 m medley; she made sporting history by becoming the first Irishwoman to win a European title in 200 m butterfly and the individual 400 m medley in the same year.
in Atlanta was rejected but later accepted on appeal. Smith's success led to hints from other swimmers, notably Evans, of possible foul play, but these were not substantiated at the time. The suspicion stemmed from the fact of her sudden rise in performance and that her coach, Erik de Bruin, had served a four-year ban during his discus career after testing positive for illegal levels of testosterone
.
In 1995, Erik de Bruin was refused a coach's accreditation to the European Championships in Vienna because of his four-year ban. He used a falsified accreditation badge of a Belgian official to gain entry into the doping control area. In the anti-doping area, Erik proceeded to mark up Michelle's doping control form with comments regarding the sloppiness of the control procedures in Dutch. It was reported that in 1996 and 1997, the International Swimming Federation
(FINA) had concerns about Smith's repeated unavailability for random out-of-competition testing. Her submitted training schedule was left totally blank, apart from her name and nationality, making it difficult to predict her movements. It has been suggested that Smith's behaviour during this period is wholly consistent with the typical behaviour of others who have subsequently been found guilty of drug taking offences.
Prior to the beginning of the games, swimming analyst Gary O'Toole flagged what he predicted would be an unbelievable performance in the games by Smith. He intimated that such an improvement in performance could not be naturally achieved. Naturally the Irish broadcaster RTÉ balked at the controversial claims and essentially gagged the analyst for fear of litigation.
Two years after the Atlanta Games, FINA banned Smith for four years for tampering with her urine sample using alcohol. She appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
(CAS). Her case was heard by a panel of three experienced sports lawyers, including Michael Beloff QC. Uniquely for a CAS hearing, De Bruin's case was heard in public, at her own lawyer's request. FINA submitted evidence from Dr Jordi Segura, head of the IOC-accredited laboratory in Barcelona, which said she took the bodybuilding drug Androstenedione
, a metabolic precursor of testosterone, the night before the test. It also became known that three samples, taken between November 1997 and March 1998, had shown traces of Androstenedione. The CAS upheld the ban.
She was 28 at the time, and the ban effectively ended her competitive swimming career. Although Smith lost some of her popularity and her career achievements were somewhat discredited, she was not stripped of her Olympic medals, because her doping offense was detected sometime after the games. Thus, she remains Ireland's most successful Olympian ever.
; 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. While a student at the King's Inns
she won the highly prestigious internal Brian Walsh
Moot Court
competition. Her first book, Transnational Litigation: Jurisdiction and Procedure was published in 2008 by Thomson Round Hall.
In October 2007 Michelle took part in Celebrities Go Wild for the Irish charity People In Need
. At the launch of the series, she refused to appear on The Late Late Show if host Pat Kenny
made any reference to her swimming career. This came after RTÉ show executives told the former swimmer that some reference would have to be made to her controversial past. After the show, an RTÉ spokesperson confirmed that Michelle had made the decision not to take part when faced with the ultimatum.
Michelle has never admitted using illegal performance enhancing drugs. Her first book co-written with Cathal Dervan provides her account of eventshttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Gold-Michelle-Smith/dp/1851589309. She is currently a practising barrister at law.
Rathcoole, Dublin
Rathcoole is a suburban village, south west of Tallaght, Ireland, in South Dublin County. It lies just off the N7 national primary road. It borders the nearby village of Saggart.- Geography :...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, now more commonly referred to by her married name, Michelle de Bruin) is a retired Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
swimmer and practising Irish barrister. She was a triple gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
list at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta, for the 400 m individual medley
Medley swimming
Medley is a combination of four different swimming styles into one race. This race is either swum by one swimmer as individual medley or by four swimmers as a medley relay...
, 400 m freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
and 200 m individual medley. She also won the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
for the 200 m butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
event.
Significant controversy followed these victories, particularly after U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
swimmer Janet Evans
Janet Evans
Janet Beth Evans is a American competitive swimmer who specializes in distance freestyle. She recently announced her comeback to the sport with intentions to swim in the 2012 Olympic Trials.-Biography:...
at a press conference accused Smith of doping
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...
immediately following Evans' defeat. These accusations have never been proven. However, as David Wallechinsky
David Wallechinsky
David Wallechinsky has worked as a commentator for NBC Olympic coverage and is the author of many Olympic reference books and other reference books. He is a Jewish-American. He is the author of The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics and The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics series...
writes in his Complete Book of the Summer Olympics series, doubts about Smith involved the fact that no Irish swimmer had ever won an Olympic medal and that Smith's previous Olympic record had been "mediocre". Suspicions about her suddenly improving performances at an age considered to be late in a swimmer's career had been raised earlier, following her medal wins at the 1995 European Championships. Moreover, her husband and coach, Erik de Bruin
Erik de Bruin
Erik de Bruin is a retired Dutch discus thrower and shot putter. He held the Dutch national record in shot put from 1986 to 2005, and his 68.12 m discus throw record of April 1, 1991 still stands today....
, a Dutch discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
and shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
thrower, had failed a drug test in 1993 and had been suspended from competition.
Smith later received a four-year suspension in 1998 after being found guilty of tampering with a urine sample. The ban was imposed after a urine sample taken during a routine random drug test was found to be contaminated with alcohol. The bodybuilding drug Androstenedione
Androstenedione
Androstenedione is a 19-carbon steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands and the gonads as an intermediate step in the biochemical pathway that produces the androgen testosterone and the estrogens estrone and estradiol.-Synthesis:Androstenedione is the common precursor of male and female sex...
was also found in her samples.
Swimming career
Smith first appeared on the world scene as an 18-year-old at the Seoul OlympicsSwimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics took place in Seoul, South Korea. The swimming competition, held from September 18 to September 25, was notable for the seven medals, including five golds, won by Matt Biondi, the six golds won by Kristin Otto, and the three individual golds won by Janet Evans...
but failed to progress beyond the heats of the four events into which she was entered. Smith's second major championship was at the 1991 World Championships
1991 World Aquatics Championships
The 1991 World Aquatics Championships took place in Perth, Australia between 3 January and 13 January 1991 with 1142 participating athletes.- Medals table :-Diving:MenWomen-Open water swimming:MenWomen-Swimming:MenWomen...
in Perth, Australia, where she finished 13th in the 400 m individual medley. She competed at the 1991 European Championships and qualified for the 1992 Olympic Games. She competed in the 200 m medley and backstroke and 400 m medley in the 1992 Olympics
Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, 31 swimming events were contested. There was a total of 641 participants from 92 countries competing.-Medal table:-Men's events:* Swimmers who participated in the heats only and received medals....
in Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, despite suffering an injury in the months leading up to the Games. In 1993 she came under the wing of Erik de Bruin, whom she had met in Barcelona. With new training techniques she finished fifth in the 200 m butterfly at the 1994 World Championships
1994 World Aquatics Championships
The 1994 FINA World Aquatics Championships were held in Rome, Italy between September 1 and September 11, 1994.-Medal table:-Diving:MenWomen-Open water swimming:MenWomen-Swimming:MenWomen-Synchronized swimming:-Water polo:...
.
In 1995, Smith set Irish records in 50 m, 100 m, 400 m and 800 m freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
, 100 m backstroke, 100 m and 200 m butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
, and 200 m and 400 m medley events. She was ranked number 1 in 200 m butterfly, sixth in 100 m butterfly and seventh in 200 m medley; she made sporting history by becoming the first Irishwoman to win a European title in 200 m butterfly and the individual 400 m medley in the same year.
Controversy and doping ban
Smith was single-handedly responsible for Ireland's second-largest ever medal haul at one Olympics. Originally her application to compete at the 1996 Summer Olympics1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta was rejected but later accepted on appeal. Smith's success led to hints from other swimmers, notably Evans, of possible foul play, but these were not substantiated at the time. The suspicion stemmed from the fact of her sudden rise in performance and that her coach, Erik de Bruin, had served a four-year ban during his discus career after testing positive for illegal levels of testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
.
In 1995, Erik de Bruin was refused a coach's accreditation to the European Championships in Vienna because of his four-year ban. He used a falsified accreditation badge of a Belgian official to gain entry into the doping control area. In the anti-doping area, Erik proceeded to mark up Michelle's doping control form with comments regarding the sloppiness of the control procedures in Dutch. It was reported that in 1996 and 1997, the International Swimming Federation
International Swimming Federation
Fédération Internationale de Natation is the International Federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee for administering international competition in the aquatic sports...
(FINA) had concerns about Smith's repeated unavailability for random out-of-competition testing. Her submitted training schedule was left totally blank, apart from her name and nationality, making it difficult to predict her movements. It has been suggested that Smith's behaviour during this period is wholly consistent with the typical behaviour of others who have subsequently been found guilty of drug taking offences.
Prior to the beginning of the games, swimming analyst Gary O'Toole flagged what he predicted would be an unbelievable performance in the games by Smith. He intimated that such an improvement in performance could not be naturally achieved. Naturally the Irish broadcaster RTÉ balked at the controversial claims and essentially gagged the analyst for fear of litigation.
Two years after the Atlanta Games, FINA banned Smith for four years for tampering with her urine sample using alcohol. She appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
(CAS). Her case was heard by a panel of three experienced sports lawyers, including Michael Beloff QC. Uniquely for a CAS hearing, De Bruin's case was heard in public, at her own lawyer's request. FINA submitted evidence from Dr Jordi Segura, head of the IOC-accredited laboratory in Barcelona, which said she took the bodybuilding drug Androstenedione
Androstenedione
Androstenedione is a 19-carbon steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands and the gonads as an intermediate step in the biochemical pathway that produces the androgen testosterone and the estrogens estrone and estradiol.-Synthesis:Androstenedione is the common precursor of male and female sex...
, a metabolic precursor of testosterone, the night before the test. It also became known that three samples, taken between November 1997 and March 1998, had shown traces of Androstenedione. The CAS upheld the ban.
She was 28 at the time, and the ban effectively ended her competitive swimming career. Although Smith lost some of her popularity and her career achievements were somewhat discredited, she was not stripped of her Olympic medals, because her doping offense was detected sometime after the games. Thus, she remains Ireland's most successful Olympian ever.
After the ban
Her experiences at the CAS had an effect beyond her swimming career. It was there that she developed an interest in the lawLaw
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
; after officially announcing her retirement from swimming in 1999, she returned to university, graduating from University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
with a degree in law. In July 2005 she was conferred with the degree of Barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
at Law of King's Inns
King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns , is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of Ireland...
, Dublin. While a student at the King's Inns
King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns , is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of Ireland...
she won the highly prestigious internal Brian Walsh
Brian Walsh (judge)
Brian Walsh was an Irish supreme court and European Court of Human Rights justice and barrister.Described as the "outstanding legal reforming mind of his generation" by Prof...
Moot Court
Moot court
A moot court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, usually to include drafting briefs and participating in oral argument. The term derives from Anglo Saxon times, when a moot was a gathering of prominent men in a...
competition. Her first book, Transnational Litigation: Jurisdiction and Procedure was published in 2008 by Thomson Round Hall.
In October 2007 Michelle took part in Celebrities Go Wild for the Irish charity People In Need
People in Need Trust
The People in Need Trust is a charity in Ireland.Its main fundraiser, the RTÉ People in Need Telethon, has been broadcasted by RTÉ since 1989, and is supported by Eircom...
. At the launch of the series, she refused to appear on The Late Late Show if host Pat Kenny
Pat Kenny
Patrick "Pat" Kenny is an Irish broadcaster and former disc jockey and continuity announcer. He is employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is their highest paid presenter. He presents Today with Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday morning between 10:00 and midday...
made any reference to her swimming career. This came after RTÉ show executives told the former swimmer that some reference would have to be made to her controversial past. After the show, an RTÉ spokesperson confirmed that Michelle had made the decision not to take part when faced with the ultimatum.
Michelle has never admitted using illegal performance enhancing drugs. Her first book co-written with Cathal Dervan provides her account of eventshttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Gold-Michelle-Smith/dp/1851589309. She is currently a practising barrister at law.
See also
- List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games