Nate Smith Returns from Knee Injury

Nate Smith was forced to take a leave of absence in his record breaking career after suffering a tibia plateau fracture in his left knee from hyper-extension in the beginning of the summer season. The injury relegated him to the sidelines for 13 weeks.

Despite missing a large portion of the season, Smith says he feels the time off was advantageous.

"I think the time off was a good thing," Smith said. "With our seasons being so long, we rarely get time off to relax and rest."

The resting period paid off. Shortly after returning to the water, Smith broke the Mid-West slalom record with 1 buoy at 43 off and recently ran yet another 41 off at this year's Malibu Open.

Back at the top of his game, Smith has deep 43 off in his sights. However, a new world record is not his primary focus. Instead, Smith is simply concentrating on spending more time back on the water.

"World records are great, but my main focus is on being consistent and winning pro events right now."