Iris Smith was the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in wrestling, capturing gold at the 2005 World Championships in Budapest. She was also the first American female wrestler to win a world title after women's wrestling was officially announced as a sport in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Smith is also the only woman in United States military history in any sport to earn both a military world championship title (2010) and a civilian world championship title (2005).

A member of Team USA for 16 years, Smith was U.S. World Team Trials champion four times, runner-up four times and third-place finisher five times. After a seventh-place finish at the 2000 World Championships, Smith was forced to miss the 2001 World Championships due to her commitment to attend basic training with the United States Army. She is a two-time Pan American champion and also a silver medalist while also winning seven national championships, senior and university combined.

Smith was a member of the boys varsity wrestling team and also played basketball at Dougherty Comprehensive High School in Albany, Georgia.

A staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, Smith is a member of USA Wrestling’s Board of Directors and serves as the Chairperson of the Women’s Sport Committee.