{"id":343244,"date":"2018-12-19T10:14:37","date_gmt":"2018-12-19T17:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=343244"},"modified":"2018-12-19T12:42:22","modified_gmt":"2018-12-19T19:42:22","slug":"2012-olympic-champion-missy-franklin-announces-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2012-olympic-champion-missy-franklin-announces-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"2012 Olympic Champion Missy Franklin Announces Retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"

2012 Olympic Gold Medalist\u00a0Missy<\/strong> Franklin<\/strong>, 23,\u00a0announced Wednesday she is retiring from competitive swimming in a first person letter she wrote to ESPN. Franklin explained why she decided to retire, saying it was “perhaps the hardest letter I’ve ever had to write.”<\/p>\n

“The first 18 years of my career were as picture perfect as it can get. The equation couldn’t have made more sense: you work hard, you have a positive attitude, you show up every day and give your best, and you get faster. That’s how it worked for me. I worked harder, I trained harder and I swam faster, year after year after year. Following the 2012 Olympics, I decided to remain an amateur and swim in college, and it is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Swimming at the University of California, Berkeley was one of the greatest honors and privileges I’ve had as an athlete and a person. The teams I was able to be a part of in 2014 and 2015 taught me more than I can begin to say. People would sometimes laugh when I said I wanted to swim in college because I knew I would meet my future bridesmaids on my team and that they would become my family for life. Well, I did meet them. One maid of honor and three bridesmaids, to be exact.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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This was perhaps the hardest letter I\u2019ve ever had to write. There are so many words to say and I thank you all for letting me share them with you, and for your continued support. Today, I announce my retirement from competitive swimming. https:\/\/t.co\/P3wLMnOWck<\/a><\/p>\n
— Missy Franklin Johnson (@missyfranklin) December 19, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n