Michel Smith ( born Michelle Smith , in marriage Michel de Bruin , born December 16, 1969 ) is an Irish swimmer . Three-time Olympic champion, multiple champion of Europe. She finished her career in 1998 after being disqualified due to the use of doping . Despite the disqualification, the Olympic medals won by Michel Smith earlier remained with her. One of 6 Olympic champions in the history of Ireland, the first woman from Ireland to win Olympic gold, and the only 3-time champion.
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Biography
Born in the city of Ratkul , County South Dublin . The first big start of the swimmer was the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul . The debut was unsuccessful, Smith took part in the swims at 4 distances, but nowhere was able to qualify for the final. Also unfortunate for her were the Games in Barcelona in 1992 , where she again never reached the final.
After the Barcelona Games, Smith began training the Dutch athlete Eric de Bruin, who performed in the discus throw and shot put , for which Michel Smith later married. In 1993, Eric de Bruin was disqualified for doping.
At the next Games in Atlanta in 1996, Michel Smith became one of the most titled athletes, having won the gold medal three times - at both the complex distances and at the 400-meter freestyle. She also became the third on 200 meters butterfly.
An unexpected surge of results of a hitherto not very successful athlete and the reputation of her husband and coach spoiled due to doping disqualification led Smith to start suspecting the use of illegal drugs. American swimmer Janet Evans directly accused Smith at a press conference of doping, but the Olympic tests did not confirm this.
After two years, large quantities of alcohol were found in Smith doping samples. There was a suspicion that in this way the athlete masked the presence of a prohibited substance in the sample. Smith de Bruin was disqualified for 4 years. Smith's appeal was considered in an international sports arbitration court, however, during the hearings, the results of several more analyzes of 1997 and 1998, which showed the presence of the banned steroid androstenedione, were made public. An arbitration court confirmed a 4-year suspension, after which Smith left the sport. Since it was not possible to prove the use of a swimmer of illicit drugs at the Atlanta Olympics, the medals won by her were not selected.