Missy Franklin: Why Everyone Should Be Rooting for US Teen Sensation to Win Gold

Missy Franklin is highly motivated to win multiple gold medals at the 2012 Summer Games in London, and we should all be rooting for her to succeed.

She's motivated by more than just competition, according to the Denver Post's Mark Kiszla, who writes that Franklin is dedicating all her races to the victims of the recent Colorado massacre. Franklin, who attends high school in Aurora, says:

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I'm going to give my best in every single race, and in every single race I'm going to have the Colorado incident in my mind. It's such a terrible thing, and I'm still shaken by it, but they're in my thoughts this entire process.

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Given how close Franklin is to the situation, it's admirable that she's dedicating herself to the memory of those who've lost their loved ones. With that in mind, let's take a look at the events Franklin can win in London.

100-Meter Backstroke Final: Monday, July 30, at 2:49 p.m. ET

Franklin posted the best qualifying time of any woman in the world in this event leading up to these Summer Games. 

Her time of 58.85 seconds at the Olympic trials was more than one-tenth of a second faster than the next-best competitor—Russia's Anastasia Zueva.

Most of the world's top female swimmers aren't close to cracking the 59-second mark, so Franklin has an excellent chance to bring home the gold.

4x200-Meter Freestyle Relay: Wednesday, August 1, at 3:57 p.m. ET

Though the Americans came in third place in the 4x100-meter race, they have a much better chance to bring home the gold medal in this event.

Franklin and her teammates torched the Australian team in the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, winning that race by more than a full second. They'll be one of the favorites to win, and at worst, they'll earn a podium finish.

200-Meter Backstroke: Friday, August 3, at 2:30 p.m. ET

As good as Franklin is in the 100-meter backstroke, she truly stands above the rest in this longer race. 

Her qualifying time of 2 minutes, 6.12 seconds was more than a half-a-second faster than Russia's Zueva, who posted a time of 2:06.59 at the Russian National Swimming Championships in April.

Franklin will be the heavy favorite to win this event, and I'll be shocked if she falls short of that goal.

4x100-Meter Medley Relay: Saturday, August 4, at 3:07 p.m. ET

Franklin's prowess with her backstroke is one of the reasons the Americans won this race at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships by more than three seconds. Three seconds in such a short race means that they seriously kicked butt, and they'll be the favorites to win this event in the 2012 Summer Games.

Franklin and her teammates will be tough to beat, and I expect them to easily win the gold.

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