Olympic Swimmer Helen Smart Dies Suddenly at 43

Helen Smart, a former Olympic swimmer who represented Great Britain at the 2000 Olympic Games, has died, according to multiple reports. She was 43 years old. Her cause of death is not known, but Smart’s death was confirmed by Worsley Mesnes Community Primary School in Wigan, England, where she was the head teacher. 

“It is with great sadness and regret that I have to announce the sudden death of our beloved Headteacher, Mrs. Helen Smart,” Chair of Governors Alison Halliwell said in a statement. “Our heart-felt condolences are sent to Helen’s family at this very difficult time. I know this news will be a shock and cause great sadness to our community. I want to reassure you that the Governors of Worsley Mesnes School are working with the local authority and school to ensure that our children, staff and parents will receive the necessary support in the coming weeks.”

Smart, who competed under the name Helen Don-Duncan became popular in the swimming world after becoming the backstroke champion in Great Britain in the late 1990s. And during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Smart competed in the women’s 50-meter backstroke and 200-meter backstroke at the age of 19. She retired from swimming in the early 2000s and then became the head teacher at Worsley Mesnes Community Primary School.

“She loved the school, staff, children and parents so much,” Smart’s husband Craig Smart said in a Facebook post, per E! News. “She was so proud to reach her goal of being Head Teacher. She used to say to me all the time she could never see herself at another school. She was Worsley Mesnes through and through! I remember only last week she said her goal was to get the school to outstanding and that she had the right staff to achieve this! I hope you all keep learning like champions. Please learn from this and live your best life, no regrets, take lots of photos, make memories and keep smiling just like Helen always did!”

On the school’s website, Helen Smart shared her love for competing in the Olympics and how it helped her in her educational career. “I have always had high aspirations with a strong drive to achieve my goals; it was always a childhood ambition to become an Olympian,” Smart wrote. “In the year 2000, I competed in the Olympic Games, in Sydney, Australia. I have had a lifelong commitment to Olympism, a philosophy that encourages you to take care of your body, will and mind, celebrating the joy of effort and educational value of setting a good example, having social responsibility and respect for achieving goals.”