American swimmer Katie Ledecky is already one of the undeniable stars of the Rio Olympics. When she shattered a world record in the 400-meter freestyle, all of the publicity and positive vibes started rolling in.
That must have looked familiar to Missy Franklin, who’s simply trying to find some answers in Rio.
In 2012 Franklin was one of the biggest stories of the London Olympics. At age 17, she won five medals, including four golds. Franklin became a star.
Rio hasn’t had the same storybook feel for Franklin, at least so far.
Franklin failed to qualify for the 200-meter freestyle final on Monday, continuing her struggles that were also apparent through the Olympic trials. And it’s clearly not easy for her.
 | @missyfranklin | |
So heartbroken by my results from last night. Doing everything I can to keep my head up and keep fighting with all I have🇺🇸
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Franklin qualified for just three events in Rio, after qualifying for seven in London. She still has the 200 backstroke to go and will likely be a member of the 4×200 free relay team. Franklin set a world record for the 200 backstroke at the 2012 Olympics, so she can still write a positive story from Rio.
And to Franklin’s credit, immediately after tweeting about how devastated she was from her performance on Monday, she made it clear that she was thrilled for Ledecky.
| @missyfranklin | |
I am SO incredibly proud of my teammates and watching them brings me so much joy. I can't wait to watch @katieledecky crush it tonight!🌟
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Franklin’s tough year started before Rio. She was a big story from the U.S. trials as she was unable to replicate her magic from four years ago. Then Franklin finished last in her 200-meter freestyle semifinal heat on Monday.
Franklin turned pro in 2015, after two years at the University of California-Berkeley. There are a lot of sponsor and media responsibilities that come along with that. The various distractions might have set her back, though Franklin doesn’t really know what has happened.
“I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around this year, what’s been going wrong but I haven’t been able to figure it out,” Franklin told USA Today’s Nicole Auerbach.
“You don’t always understand everything and understanding isn’t always going to bring you peace so it’s just knowing that God’s with me no matter what and I’ve got to keep fighting and keep believing in his plan.”
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