The Tokyo Olympics may be a year away [1], but 17-year-old Regan Smith is already making the case that she can compete with the world's most elite athletes. Regan — who's currently the youngest member of the USA Swimming team [2] — made history during the semifinals of the 200-meter backstroke at the 2019 World Championships, when she not only qualified for the finals, but also shattered a world record [3] along the way. Her time of 2:03.35 in the semifinal was .71 seconds faster than the previous record, set by Missy Franklin at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London [4].

Regan is the same age now that Missy was in 2012. It's a bittersweet moment for the former Olympian, as this was her last-standing world record, but she graciously cheered on Regan and congratulated her in a series of tweets as well. "Well dear friend, we had a great run. Seven years and I couldn't be more honoured to have my 200 back World Record broken by @reganesmith4 [5], one of the sweetest and hardest working athletes I've ever known," Missy wrote. "Keeping this World Record with an American flag by it means everything. I was truly blown away watching Regan swim a 2:03.3 (Yes, I typed that right) and absolutely smash it."

Regan is one of Team USA's fastest-rising stars and an Olympic hopeful [6]. For now, though, she's basking in her new record. "I'm in shock. I really don't believe it [7]. I didn't think I'd ever do that. It's crazy," she told reporters after her record-breaking swim. "I'm really happy, very happy with what I was able to do. I was hoping to slip under 2:06. [The swim] greatly exceeded my expectations." Watch her record-breaking swim above.