Michelle Smith

Michelle Smith de Bruin (born 16 December 1969 in Rathcoole) is an Irish lawyer and retired Olympic swimmer. She won three gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, for the 400 m individual medley, 400 m freestyle and 200 m individual medley, and also won the bronze medal for the 200 m butterfly event. Smith's rise to dominance in the 1995 European Championships, followed by her wins in Atlanta at a relatively advanced age for swimmers were marked by allegations of doping, which were never proven. Smith was, however, later banned for four years by FINA, the international swimming federation, for manipulation of an anti-doping sample, by deliberate contamination with alcohol, a decision upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport when Smith appealed. Already superannuated in swimming terms, Smith never returned to competitive swimming and later worked as a barrister, practising under her married name of Michelle de Bruin.

Despite the ban for manipulating samples, none of Smith's swimming achievements have been annulled, and she remains Ireland's most successful Olympian. Provided by Wikipedia