Missy Franklin

Missy Franklin strongly believes in God and has accepted that she often converses with God. Although she is a world-class swimmer, Missy wishes to study broadcast journalism and has earned a degree in psychology.

In 2012, Missy was in a relationship with fellow swimmer John Martens. The couple broke up later. In 2013, Missy was reportedly dating Daniel Butler.

Reports claim that she is currently single.

Missy was born Melissa Jeanette Franklin, on May 10, 1995, in Pasadena, California. She is the only child of Dick and D A Franklin.

She was 5 years old when she had her first swimming lesson. She took up swimming lessons so she could get comfortable around water, as her mother would often be worried about water safety.

Franklin holds both American and Canadian citizenships. Her father was a football player until he had to give up his career due to an injury. He then completed his MBA from ‘Dalhousie University,’ where he met his wife. The family settled in Ontario, Canada, until her father was transferred to the US. The family then settled in Denver, Colorado. Although her mother wanted Missy to play for Canada, Missy decided to play for the US national team.

She grew up in Centennial, Colorado, and attended the ‘Regis Jesuit High School.’ In 2012, she attended the ‘University of California’ in Berkley on an athletic scholarship. She began training with the ‘California Golden Bears’ in the 2013–14 academic year.

She became part of the ‘Colorado Stars’ travel swim team at the age of 7 and soon discovered her passion for swimming. At the age of 13, she competed at the 2008 ‘US Olympic Team Trials’ but could not qualify for the ‘Olympics.’

She won her career’s first international medal in the 200-meter backstroke event at the 2010 ‘FINA Short-Course World Championships’ in Dubai. While in college, Missy became a four-time individual ‘NCAA’ champion. She won three individual ‘NCAA’ titles at the 2015 ‘NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship.’

In 2011, she won five medals at the ‘World Aquatics Championships’ in Shanghai. The tally included three gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze medal. She broke her own national record by clocking 2:05.10 in the final of the 200-meter backstroke event. This was also Franklin’s first individual world title.

Three days after her event in Shanghai, Franklin competed at the 2011 ‘National Championships’ in California. She stood fourth in the 200-meter individual medley and twelfth in the 50-meter freestyle event.

She made her first world record in the 200-meter backstroke event at the 2011 ‘FINA Swimming World Cup’ by clocking 2:00.03, beating the previous record of 2:00.13 by Shiho Sakai. She set another world record at the 2011 ‘Duel in the Pool’ by clocking 3:45.56.

Franklin became the first woman to qualify for seven ‘Olympic’ events. She competed in four events at the ‘2012 Summer Olympics’ and was placed first in both the 200-meter and 100-meter backstroke events. She made it to the second place in the 200-meter freestyle event. She was again placed second in the 100-meter freestyle event.

Franklin competed at the 2012 ‘London Olympics’ at the age of 17. She won a bronze medal on the first day of her competition, in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.