Presley Smith

Smith was born in Albany, New York, and relocated with his family to Indianapolis, Indiana, at the age of one. When he was nine, the family moved to Baltimore, Maryland. His mother, who is of Taiwanese descent, played recreational badminton, while his father participated in wrestling and tennis.^[2]

Smith initially played tennis before transitioning to badminton around the age of nine or ten, training at a local club in Baltimore. He attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute for high school. During his early junior career, Smith struggled in tournaments and frequently exited in the first round.^[2]

As Smith progressed to the under-19 age category, his tournament results began to improve. To pursue further badminton training, he opted to attend college and moved to Taipei, Taiwan, in 2021. Utilizing connections through his mother, he secured a tryout at a badminton team. He initially trained on weekends with the club's high school team before advancing to practice with the senior players.^[2]

Smith is a multiple-time Pan Am Champion. He won the men's doubles title twice with Chen Zhi-yi in 2024 and successfully defended the title a year later.^[3] He also won the mixed doubles title with his partner Allison Lee in 2024.^[4]