2016 Trials Throwback: How Missy Franklin Shined With Moxie and Class
As Swimming World revisits the 2016 Olympic Trials, we offer this piece from the SwimVortex archive. The column takes a look at the way Missy Franklin not only rose to the occasion in the 200 freestyle in Omaha, but how she admirably carried herself during a difficult week.
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By John Lohn
Sometimes, as the adage goes, timing is everything.
Not long before the athletes walked onto the deck for the start of the women’s 200 freestyle at the United States Olympic Trials on Wednesday night, Katy Perry’s “Roar” blared from the CenturyLink Center’s speakers. The song was nothing more than part of the nightly programming, designed to entertain fans and generate a festive atmosphere.
At the same time, the song was seemingly meant for Missy Franklin. Through the first three days of Trials in Omaha, Franklin struggled. She’s not in peak form this week, and when she finished seventh in the 100 backstroke on Day Three, gone was the opportunity to defend her Olympic title in the event. A question surfaced: Could Franklin potentially not qualify for this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro?
No way, and that’s where the Perry lyrics come into play.
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter.
Dancing through the fire.
‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar.
Louder, louder than a lion.
‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar!
Indeed, Franklin summoned her champion’s pedigree and tapped into what is, perhaps, her greatest attribute: Her heart. As Katie Ledecky stormed to victory in 1:54.88, a three-way battle unfolded for the second individual bid to Rio – Franklin dueling with Leah Smith and reigning Olympic champ Allison Schmitt. Who would earn that coveted berth? Franklin wasn’t letting it get away.
Fourth through the first lap and at the midway point, Franklin moved into second place behind Ledecky on the third lap and maintained that position at the wall, touching in 1:56.18, almost a half-second up on Smith and .54 ahead of Schmitt. As the camera panned to Franklin at the finish, showing her face on the arena’s Jumbotron, she was beaming. All right, Franklin is always smiles, but in this instance, it was a Joker-sized grin, a sense of relief clearly evident in the 21-year-old coached by Todd Schmitz.
“I told (Franklin) after the race that she’s one tough cookie,” Ledecky said. “She got the job done. That race is for real, and there’s more to come from her.”
The 200 free will be one of the most hotly contested events in Rio, perhaps the most anticipated on the female schedule. While the U.S. brings Ledecky and Franklin to the deck, Italy’s Federica Pellegrini, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and Australia’s Emma McKeon will be right there, a place on the podium their focus, too.
But there will be another opportunity to go over the outlook of the event. For now, Franklin deserves attention for her gutsiness, her performance the definition of determination and perseverance. If a seminar is ever put together for Team USA rookies on how to handle adversity and pressure situations, Franklin should be the keynote speaker.
“Last night was really tough,” Franklin said of her 100 backstroke setback. “But I was telling myself, ‘I’m not done fighting. I’m not done believing in myself.’ That’s probably the most-proud race I’ve ever swam in my entire career — coming back from such a loss and telling myself that I still have it in me to do whatever I believe I can do. It’s moments like this, you kind of have to sit back and say, ‘You know what? I just did it.’”
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Even for someone of Franklin’s ilk, someone who has reached the pinnacle of her sport as an Olympic champion, it’s difficult to not dwell – at least somewhat – on the difficulties at hand. Franklin admitted to the media that this version of Trials feels different than the last, the pressure amped up due to her stature in the sport, and the expectations placed on her shoulders. As a five-time medalist from the 2012 Games, Franklin became a Golden Girl of Team USA and an athlete NBC Sports would no doubt make a focal point of its coverage. That’s not an easy scenario to handle.
Despite that pressure and the natural doubts that sift into the mind when an Olympic bid remains unsecure, Franklin did not deviate from her normal persona. She remained her bubbly self (at least in public) and was analytical about her job: She needed to go out, produce to the best of her ability and let things fall into place.
When it came to those around her on the deck, Franklin could not have been more gracious in the way she handled her defeat in the 100 backstroke. There were congratulations for qualifiers Olivia Smoliga and Kathleen Baker, not a glimpse of jealousy. It takes a unique person to possess – and genuinely adhere to – that type of personality.
“It’s going to be really hard to not be in (the 100 backstroke) this summer,” Franklin said. “But I cannot wait to watch how (Smoliga) and (Baker) do, and can’t wait to see what they’re capable of.”
So it went, with Missy Franklin moving on and choosing to not look back. There was work ahead, and another opportunity to accomplish why she came to Omaha. Ultimately, it took her a little under two minutes to achieve her goal. And in the category of intangibles, the young woman who is a leading face of her sport turned to the guts and grit that define her as much as her effervescent demeanor.
“People say there’s nothing like making your first Olympic Team,” Franklin said. “But there’s nothing like making your second Olympic Team, either.”
Well said.