100 years ago, former Erie resident Adam Smith swam at Olympics in Paris. How did he do?

The 2024 Summer Olympics won’t be the first for Elizabeth Darling.

They’ll be the fourth since 2008 for the Erie physical therapist, who will work with American Evita Griskenas during the women’s rhythmic gymnastics competition.

However, Darling also won’t be the first Erie-area resident who’s involved in Summer Games held at Paris. The wife of Gannon University women’s volleyball coach Matt Darling will arrive in France exactly 100 years after that country last hosted them.

That’s when Adam Smith represented the United States in men’s swimming. The Bradford native qualified in large part through training at the Erie YMCA’s pool.

Accompanying Smith to Europe in 1924 was J.C. “Doc” Ainsworth, the Erie YMCA’s physical director and swimming coach for the former Erie Central High School. The 1995 Metro Erie Sports Hall of Fame inductee was considered one of the nation’s best coaches for that sport.

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How he fared

Smith, a distance specialist, entered the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle. That was competitive swimming’s longest race a century ago.

There were five first-round heats in that event for the 1924 Olympics. The top two finishers in each automatically advanced to the semifinals.

Smith, who was in the initial heat, completed his laps in 22 minutes, 48.8 seconds. He was second to Great Britain’s Harold Anninson (22:38.4).

Ainsworth’s comments on Smith’s performance appeared in an Erie Times article dated July 14, 1924.

“He could have come along faster,” Ainsworth said, “but the fact that he qualified (for the semifinals) indicated Adam is in pretty good form.”

Smith had to place in the top two of his semifinal or have the low third-place time for either heat to advance to the medal round.

Neither happened, as he finished fourth for his heat at 22:53.4.

Andrew Murray “Boy” Charlton won the 1,500 final at 20:06.6. Not only did the Australian return Down Under an Olympic champion, but his time doubled as a world record.

Smith eventually moved to North Carolina, where he resided most of his life. The former executive secretary for the Wilmington YMCA died in 1985 at age 81.

Ainsworth remained in Erie, where he died in 1948 at 69. The City of Erie School District renamed its baseball field at West 24th Street and Washington Place after him a year earlier.

Meet Team USA:All athletes from the United States at the 2024 Paris Summer Games

Contact Mike Copper atmcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.