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BARCELONA, Spain, July 31. MISSY Franklin has scratched from the semifinals of the 50 backstroke, putting her full concentration on the 200 freestyle final
Franklin had won the bronze medal in the 2011 world championships in the 50 backstroke, which she will remember forever as her first world championship medal (she won gold in the 800 free relay a couple of events later). Franklin qualified 13th in today’s preliminaries with a time of 28.44.
Franklin is the second seed for tonight’s 200 free final behind defending world champion Federica Pellegrini of Italy. Pellegrini is looking to join Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett and Aaron Peirsol as the only swimmers to win three world titles in the same individual event. Pellegrini won the 200 free in 2009 with the current world record of 1:52.98 and also took the 2011 title in 1:55.58.
