Missy Franklin: US Olympic Swimmer Needs to Dominate on Day 3
United States Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin got off to a solid start in London by winning a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay on Sunday. She is poised to do much better than that on a very busy third day.
Franklin already started to show off her dominance late on the second day, when she won the semifinals of the 100-meter backstroke. Having said that, she "only" had the second fastest time of the semis. Franklin finished more than a second behind Australia's Emily Seebohn, who set an Olympic record in the event at 58.23 seconds.
As much as Seebohn can brag about her individual record right now, this day is all about Franklin taking her place as the face of American swimming. You don't do that in the semifinals of an event; you do it when the pressure is at its greatest and the medal is on the line.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
In addition to the finals of the 100-meter backstroke, which take place at 2:51 p.m. EST, Franklin showed that she is ready to do big things in the 200-meter freestyle. The 17-year-old finished second in her heat to qualify for the semifinals on Monday afternoon (2:30 p.m. EST).
It was a strong start to what will be the most important day of the Olympics for Franklin. She had already become one of the faces of American swimming prior to the London Games, and easily the most recognizable female swimmer in this country.
As a country, we have very high standards and expectations for our swimmers. Michael Phelps has spoiled us, and Ryan Lochte is no slouch on his own. As far as female swimmers go, however, things are much more wide open.
Franklin, Allison Schmitt and Rebecca Soni are the biggest names for America. Dana Vollmer has already done her job, or at least part of it, by winning a gold medal and setting a world record in the 100-meter butterfly on Sunday.
Now it's Franklin's turn to show what she is made of.
With three races left on Monday, she has her work cut out for her. Given her track record of success, Franklin shouldn't have any problems living up to the hype.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
