Olympians Katie Hoff, Missy Franklin Launch New Podcast, ‘Unfiltered Waters’

Photo Courtesy: John Lohn

Olympians Katie Hoff, Missy Franklin Launch New Podcast, ‘Unfiltered Waters’

Olympians Katie Hoff and Missy Franklin Sunday announced a new podcast they’re collaborating on called Unfiltered Waters.

The two former swimmers and friends will launch the show on Jan. 3, 2024. Their goal is to use their journeys through sports to discuss unique dimensions of life in and out of the pool, with a “our passion for making an impact, and our mission to connect you with athletes on a deeper level.”

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Both women were not just world record holders but surmounted considerable adversity in their careers. Both have written memoirs since retiring and are active in a variety of philanthropic causes.

Hoff, now 34, qualified for the Summer Olympics in 2004 at the age of 15. She won silver in the 400 free and bronze in the 400 IM at the 2008 Games in Beijing. She carried the world record in the 400 IM into the Olympics but saw it taken in the final by Stephanie Rice, Hoff sliding to third.

Hoff did the IM double at the 2005 and 2007 World Championships but never quite captured that glory on the Olympic stage, falling short in a bid to qualify for a third Olympics in 2012 and not retiring until the end of 2015. Among other issues, Hoff suffered from blood clots in her lungs during her career.

Franklin, 28, was likewise a teen sensation. She won three gold and five total medals at the 2011 World Championships, then gold in the 100 and 200 backstroke at the 2012 Olympics. She added two relay gold medals and a bronze from the London games, one of the stars of the American program before she’d graduated high school.

A back injury slowed her after those Games. She didn’t qualify for the final in either of her individual events at the Rio Games in 2016 but added a gold medal from prelims of the 800 free relay. Franklin was a 2023 inductee to the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

You can follow the Unfiltered Waters podcast on Instagram at @unfilteredwaters, as well on the various podcast platforms and on YouTube. They’ll be posting content on those channels throughout December.

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