CHICAGO — Olivia Smoliga has competed at the very highest levels of swimming in the most pressure-packed environments the sporting world has to offer.

But even the two-time Olympian, who has a gold and a bronze medal on her impressive resume, admitted she had a little nervous energy when she went to bed Saturday night.

Smoliga, a Glenview native who attended Glenbrook South High School before competing in two Olympic Games, was one of 300 swimmers jumping into the Chicago River on Sunday morning for a historic swim. The Chicago River Swim marked the first time since 1927 that a sanctioned open-water swim has been held in the river.

With no lightning in the area and a water quality test conducted Sunday morning turning out OK, the event was given the go-ahead.

The first competitors bega

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