Missy Franklin's accomplishments:
Image courtesy of http://www.timescall.com/ci_21190463/newstip
2012 Summer olympic games experience:
After excellent races in the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, Missy Franklin earned herself four individual events to compete in at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. This was her first time competing in the Olympics, and she was only 17 years old.
The 4x100 meter freestyle relay team that consisted of Jessica Hardy, Lia Neal, Allison Schmitt, and Missy Franklin finished third behind Australia and the Netherlands earning all four American girls a bronze medal. Missy Franklin swam the lead-off leg on the relay team and finished with a personal best time of 53.52 seconds.
Missy Franklin also competed in the indivudual 100 meter backstroke and won the gold medal after finishing the race with a time of 58.33 seconds.
Franklin swam the 200 meter freestlye event and placed fourth, only one one-hundredth of a second behind third place.
Franklin won her second gold medal in the 4x200 meter freestyle relay with teammates Dana Vollmer, Shannon Vreeland, and Allison Schmitt. This relay time made a new American record with a time of 7:42.92.
Franklin earned her third gold medal in the 200 meter backstroke. In this event she also broke a world record. This made Franklin the first American female swimmer to win the event at the Olympics in forty years.
Franklin’s final event at the Summer Olympic Games was the 4x100 meter medley relay in which Missy swam the backstroke leg. The relay team which consisted of Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer, Allison Schmitt, and Missy Franklin won gold. The relay team set a world record with a time of 3:52:05.
The 4x100 meter freestyle relay team that consisted of Jessica Hardy, Lia Neal, Allison Schmitt, and Missy Franklin finished third behind Australia and the Netherlands earning all four American girls a bronze medal. Missy Franklin swam the lead-off leg on the relay team and finished with a personal best time of 53.52 seconds.
Missy Franklin also competed in the indivudual 100 meter backstroke and won the gold medal after finishing the race with a time of 58.33 seconds.
Franklin swam the 200 meter freestlye event and placed fourth, only one one-hundredth of a second behind third place.
Franklin won her second gold medal in the 4x200 meter freestyle relay with teammates Dana Vollmer, Shannon Vreeland, and Allison Schmitt. This relay time made a new American record with a time of 7:42.92.
Franklin earned her third gold medal in the 200 meter backstroke. In this event she also broke a world record. This made Franklin the first American female swimmer to win the event at the Olympics in forty years.
Franklin’s final event at the Summer Olympic Games was the 4x100 meter medley relay in which Missy swam the backstroke leg. The relay team which consisted of Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer, Allison Schmitt, and Missy Franklin won gold. The relay team set a world record with a time of 3:52:05.
awards:
FINA Swimmer of the Year 2011
Named USA Swimming Athlete of the Year 2012
Swimming World's World Swimmer of the Year 2012
Named USA Swimming Athlete of the Year 2012
Swimming World's World Swimmer of the Year 2012
Plans for the future:
After her success at the Summer 2012 Olympic Games in London, Missy Franklin was offered prize money and several endorsements. However, she has made the decision to turn down all offers. If she were to accept the endorsement offers, she would no longer be able to swim on her high school swim team or in college since the NCAA “requires that athletes maintain amateur status”. Franklin has already turned over $100,000. She has accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of California. Her decision to maintain amateur status is going to allow her to live a normal life. In an interview about her decision to decline any endorsement offer she explained “I do want to swim in college so badly. I love being part of a team, and in college, that team is such a big part of who you are and what you do and I really want to get a chance to be a part of that.” She has also stated that “maybe a few more people know who I am but really, that’s all that’s changed. I still have the best family and friends and teammates in the world and just going to go home and be a normal high schooler.”