Missy Franklin
Encyclopedia
Melissa "Missy" Jeanette Franklin (born May 10, 1995) is an American swimmer
. She is a five-time medalist (three gold, one silver, one bronze) at the World Aquatics Championships and a two-time silver medalist at the World Short Course Championships. She currently holds the world record in the 200-meter backstroke (short course) and the American record in the 200-meter backstroke (long course).
in Aurora
, Colorado
. Her father works for Rocky Mountain Cleantech Open, which helps develop clean technology
startup entrepreneurs, and her mother is a family physician
. Both of Franklin's parents are originally from Canada
. Because Franklin has dual citizenship
, Franklin's mother suggested she represent Canada to ease the pressure on making a national team because of the depth of USA Swimming
. However, Franklin refused, citing her patriotism
towards the United States. Franklin says God has blessed her with an excellent swimmer's body. Her height of 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) towers above most female swimmers (Franklin's father stands over 6 ft 1 in and her mother is 5 ft 4 in). Also, she has women's size 13 feet: "We call them built-in flippers," says her father Dick. She has been coached by Todd Schmitz from the Colorado Stars club team since she was 7 years old. Franklin says her favorite athlete is Natalie Coughlin
.
. Her best result was 37th place in the 100-meter freestyle.
by finishing second in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Franklin finished fourth in the 100-meter backstroke and did not make the A final for the 50 and 200-meter backstroke. Franklin earned the first international medals of her career at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships
in Dubai
. In the 200-meter backstroke, Franklin finished in second place behind French
swimmer Alexianne Castel. Franklin also earned a silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay for her contribution in the heats. For her performance in 2010, she won the Breakout Performer of the Year Award at the seventh annual Golden Goggle Awards
.
in Shanghai
, Franklin won a total of five medals, three gold, one silver, and one bronze. In her first event, the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, Franklin won a silver medal with Natalie Coughlin
, Jessica Hardy
, and Dana Vollmer
in a time of 3:34.47. Swimming the second leg, Franklin had a split of 52.99, the second-best among all participants. Franklin won her first individual medal, a bronze, in the 50-meter backstroke, finishing behind Russian Anastasia Zuyeva and Japanese Aya Terakawa
. Shortly after the 50-meter backstroke final, Franklin competed in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Dagny Knutson
, Katie Hoff
, and Allison Schmitt
and won gold ahead of Australia and China in a time of 7:46.14. Franklin's leadoff time of 1:55.06 was faster than the winning time of Italian Federica Pellegrini
in the individual 200-meter freestyle final (1:55.58). After setting the national record in the semifinals of the 200-meter backstroke (2:05.90), Franklin dominated the field in the final with a time of 2:05.10, breaking her own national record and winning gold. This was Franklin's first individual world title, and her time in the final was the third-fastest effort of all time. Shortly after the 200-meter backstroke final, Franklin competed in the 4×100-meter medley relay with Natalie Coughlin
, Rebecca Soni
, and Dana Vollmer
and won gold with a time of 3:52.36, over three seconds ahead of second-place finisher China. Swimming the freestyle leg, Franklin had a split of 52.79, the fastest in the field. The final time of 3:52.36 for the medley relay was the second-fastest effort of all time, just behind the Chinese-owned world record of 3:52.19. For her performance at these championships, she won the Female Athlete of the Year, Female Race of the Year (200-meter backstroke), and the Relay Performance of the Year (4×100-meter medley relay) Award at the eight annual Golden Goggle Awards
.
to compete at the 2011 National Championships, which began on August 2nd. At these championships, Franklin competed in four individual events, and the 4×100 and 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Franklin won the first national titles of her career in the 100-meter backstroke and freestyle. She also placed 4th in the 200-meter individual medley and 12th in the 50-meter freestyle.
, Franklin set the first world record of her career in the 200-meter backstroke (short course), bettering the previous record of 2:00.18 held by Shiho Sakai
, with a time of 2:00.03. In breaking the record, Franklin became the first female to break an individual world record since the high-tech bodysuits were banned in January 2010.
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
. She is a five-time medalist (three gold, one silver, one bronze) at the World Aquatics Championships and a two-time silver medalist at the World Short Course Championships. She currently holds the world record in the 200-meter backstroke (short course) and the American record in the 200-meter backstroke (long course).
Personal
Franklin was born in Pasadena, California in 1995, the daughter of Dick and D.A. Franklin at 7.10 lbs. She is a part of the class of 2013 at Regis Jesuit High SchoolRegis Jesuit High School
Regis Jesuit High School is a Jesuit Catholic college preparatory high school located in Aurora, Colorado. Founded in 1877, the high school shares much of its history with its counterpart Regis University in neighboring Denver, Colorado....
in Aurora
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Her father works for Rocky Mountain Cleantech Open, which helps develop clean technology
Sustainable energy
Sustainable energy is the provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable energy sources include all renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal...
startup entrepreneurs, and her mother is a family physician
Family medicine
Family medicine is a medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages. It is a division of primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, sexes, diseases, and parts of the body...
. Both of Franklin's parents are originally from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Because Franklin has dual citizenship
Multiple citizenship
Multiple citizenship is a status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen under the laws of more than one state. Multiple citizenships exist because different countries use different, and not necessarily mutually exclusive, citizenship requirements...
, Franklin's mother suggested she represent Canada to ease the pressure on making a national team because of the depth of USA Swimming
USA Swimming
USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams which officially represent the United States, as well as the overall organization and operation of the sport within the...
. However, Franklin refused, citing her patriotism
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
towards the United States. Franklin says God has blessed her with an excellent swimmer's body. Her height of 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) towers above most female swimmers (Franklin's father stands over 6 ft 1 in and her mother is 5 ft 4 in). Also, she has women's size 13 feet: "We call them built-in flippers," says her father Dick. She has been coached by Todd Schmitz from the Colorado Stars club team since she was 7 years old. Franklin says her favorite athlete is Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin is an American swimmer and eleven-time Olympic medallist.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics and the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive...
.
Early career
At the age of 13, Franklin competed at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, but did not qualify to swim in any events at the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. Her best result was 37th place in the 100-meter freestyle.
2010
At the 2010 National Championships, Franklin competed in six individual events, and qualified to swim at the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The eleventh edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, also known as the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course event, was held in Irvine, California, United States, from August 18–22....
by finishing second in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Franklin finished fourth in the 100-meter backstroke and did not make the A final for the 50 and 200-meter backstroke. Franklin earned the first international medals of her career at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships
2010 FINA Short Course World Championships
The 10th FINA World Championships was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 15–19 December 2010. This swimming-only championships took place in the Dubai Sports Complex; all events were swum in a 25-meter pool....
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. In the 200-meter backstroke, Franklin finished in second place behind French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
swimmer Alexianne Castel. Franklin also earned a silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay for her contribution in the heats. For her performance in 2010, she won the Breakout Performer of the Year Award at the seventh annual Golden Goggle Awards
Golden Goggle Awards
The Golden Goggle Awards, presented by the USA Swimming Foundation, is an awards ceremony which honours swimmers' achievements over the last year...
.
2011 World Championships
In her first long course world championship meet at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships2011 World Aquatics Championships
The 14th FINA World Championships were held at July 16–31, 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synchronised swimming...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Franklin won a total of five medals, three gold, one silver, and one bronze. In her first event, the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, Franklin won a silver medal with Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin is an American swimmer and eleven-time Olympic medallist.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics and the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive...
, Jessica Hardy
Jessica Hardy
Jessica Adele Hardy is an American swimmer who specializes in the breaststroke and freestyle stroke. She currently holds the world record in the 50 m breaststroke and the 100 m breaststroke ....
, and Dana Vollmer
Dana Vollmer
Dana Vollmer is an American college and international swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece she won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Natalie Coughlin, Kaitlin Sandeno, and Carly Piper that set the world record in the event.She has won...
in a time of 3:34.47. Swimming the second leg, Franklin had a split of 52.99, the second-best among all participants. Franklin won her first individual medal, a bronze, in the 50-meter backstroke, finishing behind Russian Anastasia Zuyeva and Japanese Aya Terakawa
Aya Terakawa
is a Japanese backstroke swimmer.-Major achievements:* 2001 World Aquatics Championships - 200m backstroke 8th * 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships - 200m backstroke 2nd...
. Shortly after the 50-meter backstroke final, Franklin competed in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Dagny Knutson
Dagny Knutson
Dagny Knutson is an American swimmer of Norwegian heritage. Knutson is a former American record holder in 400-yard individual medley and holds several high school national records....
, Katie Hoff
Katie Hoff
Kathryn "Katie" Elise Hoff is an American swimmer. Hoff is strongest in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley, though she is a very capable swimmer in many events, ranging from the four 200 meter events to the 800 meter freestyle...
, and Allison Schmitt
Allison Schmitt
Allison Schmitt is an American swimmer who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.Schmitt has won a total of six medals in major international competition, three gold, two silver, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, and the Pan Pacific Championships.-Personal...
and won gold ahead of Australia and China in a time of 7:46.14. Franklin's leadoff time of 1:55.06 was faster than the winning time of Italian Federica Pellegrini
Federica Pellegrini
Federica Pellegrini is an Italian swimmer. A native of Mirano, in the province of Venice, she is currently the women's 200 m freestyle and 400 m freestyle world record holder...
in the individual 200-meter freestyle final (1:55.58). After setting the national record in the semifinals of the 200-meter backstroke (2:05.90), Franklin dominated the field in the final with a time of 2:05.10, breaking her own national record and winning gold. This was Franklin's first individual world title, and her time in the final was the third-fastest effort of all time. Shortly after the 200-meter backstroke final, Franklin competed in the 4×100-meter medley relay with Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin is an American swimmer and eleven-time Olympic medallist.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics and the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive...
, Rebecca Soni
Rebecca Soni
Rebecca Soni is an American breaststroke swimmer and three-time Olympic medalist. She currently holds the world record in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke and is a former world-record holder in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke .Soni has won a total of nineteen medals in major...
, and Dana Vollmer
Dana Vollmer
Dana Vollmer is an American college and international swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece she won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Natalie Coughlin, Kaitlin Sandeno, and Carly Piper that set the world record in the event.She has won...
and won gold with a time of 3:52.36, over three seconds ahead of second-place finisher China. Swimming the freestyle leg, Franklin had a split of 52.79, the fastest in the field. The final time of 3:52.36 for the medley relay was the second-fastest effort of all time, just behind the Chinese-owned world record of 3:52.19. For her performance at these championships, she won the Female Athlete of the Year, Female Race of the Year (200-meter backstroke), and the Relay Performance of the Year (4×100-meter medley relay) Award at the eight annual Golden Goggle Awards
Golden Goggle Awards
The Golden Goggle Awards, presented by the USA Swimming Foundation, is an awards ceremony which honours swimmers' achievements over the last year...
.
2011 National Championships
Three days after the 2011 World Aquatics Championships ended in Shanghai on July 30th, Franklin flew to Palo Alto, CaliforniaPalo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
to compete at the 2011 National Championships, which began on August 2nd. At these championships, Franklin competed in four individual events, and the 4×100 and 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Franklin won the first national titles of her career in the 100-meter backstroke and freestyle. She also placed 4th in the 200-meter individual medley and 12th in the 50-meter freestyle.
First world record
Towards the end of 2011 in October, at the 2011 FINA Swimming World Cup2011 FINA Swimming World Cup
The 2011 FINA Swimming World Cup is a series of seven , two-day, short course meets in seven different cities in October and November 2011. Arena is again the title sponsor for the series, with Omega serving as official timer.-Meets:...
, Franklin set the first world record of her career in the 200-meter backstroke (short course), bettering the previous record of 2:00.18 held by Shiho Sakai
Shiho Sakai
is a Japanese backstroke swimmer.-Major achievements:2009 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships* 100m backstroke 1st * 200m backstroke 2nd -Personal bests:In long course* 50m backstroke: 27.88...
, with a time of 2:00.03. In breaking the record, Franklin became the first female to break an individual world record since the high-tech bodysuits were banned in January 2010.
Long course
.| Event | Time | Venue | Date | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m backstroke | 28.01 | Shanghai Shanghai Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010... |
July 28, 2011 | |
| 100 m backstroke | 59.18 | Palo Alto | August 3, 2011 | |
| 200 m backstroke | 2:05.10 | Shanghai | July 30, 2011 | AM, NR |
| 50 m freestyle | 25.23 | Federal Way Federal Way, Washington Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. Federal Way is located between Seattle and Tacoma. Its western boundary is Puget Sound. It is bordered by Des Moines on the north, Kent, unincorporated King County, and Milton on the east and Tacoma and Fife on the south... |
August 14, 2009 | |
| 100 m freestyle | 53.63 | Palo Alto | August 6, 2011 | |
| 200 m freestyle | 1:55.06 | Shanghai | July 28, 2011 | |
| 200 m individual medley | 2:11.69 | Irvine Irvine, California Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California... |
August 3, 2010 |
Short course
.| Event | Time | Venue | Date | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m backstroke | 56.73 | Berlin | October 23, 2011 | |
| 200 m backstroke | 2:00.03 | Berlin | October 22, 2011 | AM, NR, WR |
| 100 m freestyle | 52.09 | Berlin | October 23, 2011 | |
| 200 m freestyle | 1:53.26 | Berlin | October 22, 2011 | |
| 100 m individual medley | 59.44 | Berlin | October 23, 2011 |