[2] He was able to extend the streak to 11 years following the adjusted qualification rules for the 2019 CrossFit Games that gave him wildcard invitation.

His father was in the navy and the family moved around frequently when he was younger, but they eventually settled in Chesapeake where he started his 9th grade in high school.

[6][7] Smith learned gymnastics when he was three, lifted weights in his early teens, and played American football and baseball throughout his childhood.

[8] When he was sixteen, his father introduced him to CrossFit, an exercise program popular in the military and law enforcement communities, to help improve his performance in baseball.

[4][7] He played collegiate level baseball at Lafayette College,[4] but transferred after a semester to Old Dominion University to be closer to home.

Smith made the podium for the first time at the 2011 Games by finishing third behind Rich Froning and Josh Bridges.

[27][28] Ben met his wife, Noelle, in their junior year of high school[4] and were married in October 2014.

[8] By 2017, Smith had made $487,086 in prize money making him the fifth highest paid CrossFit athlete at the time.