London 2012 Olympics: World Spotlight Turns Toward US Swimmer Missy Franklin

You may not know her name when Missy Franklin steps onto the blocks for the first time, but you will certainly remember it before the Olympic flame is extinguished in London.

The teenage phenom out of Colorado has become a sensation in women's swimming after dazzling at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 U.S. Olympic trials. Some have likened her to iconic swimmer Michael Phelps, though she has a lot of catching up to do before reaching that pinnacle.

Much like Phelps, Franklin is making her Olympic debut as a teenager swimming in several races. She is due to compete in seven altogether: the 100- and 200-meter freestyle and backstroke races individually, the 4x100- and 4x200-meter freestyle relays and the 4x100-meter medley relay.

A more apropos comparison would be between Franklin and her idol growing up, Natalie Coughlin. The 11-time Olympic medalist was nearly shut out of the London Games thanks to a youth movement spearheaded by Franklin, who ousted Coughlin from her signature 100 backstroke event.

Missy the Missile is the class of the pool in her backstroke events, where she should be the favorite to win gold. She will be a strong presence for the team in her relay races. Coughlin was the first woman to medal six times in a single Olympic Games, doing so in Beijing four years ago.

Franklin can get seven.

Her best bets come in the backstroke and relay races, but she stands a great chance of medaling in all seven, though it is more of a long-shot in freestyle events. Franklin is ranked 19th and ninth in the 100 and 200 free respectively this year, according to FINA.org, and teammates Jessica Hardy and Allison Schmitt will be in the way.

This summer has recently become bigger than an Olympics medal tally for the high school junior, however, as the spotlight turns toward her for unfortunate reasons as well.

The tragedy in Aurora, Colorado—where Franklin attends high school and trains—hit far too close to home for Franklin as the horrifying events unfolded in real time for her while in France (via Jillian Eugenios of MSNBC.com):

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“My thoughts and prayers are constantly with the victims of Aurora, and anyone else affected,” Franklin told TODAY’s Matt Lauer in London on Wednesday. "Hearing that news was so hard because even a lot of people at home hadn’t heard it yet. Because we were in France, the time zone was so far ahead, and waiting to hear from all my friends and family to make sure they were OK was just miserable.”

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She hopes to shine a positive light on Colorado with her Olympic performances.

And she will.