Missy Franklin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Missy Franklin

Franklin in June 2013
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Missy, Missile
Born	(1995-05-10) May 10, 1995 (age 30) Pasadena, California, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in
Weight	165 lb
Spouse(s)	Hayes Johnson ​ (m. 2019)​
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Backstroke, freestyle, medley
Club	Colorado Stars
College team	University of California, Berkeley University of Georgia
Medal record Women's swimming Representing  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Summer Olympics 5 0 1 World Championships (LC) 11 2 3 World Championships (SC) 0 2 0 Pan Pacific Championships 1 2 1 Total 17 6 5 Olympic Games Gold 2012 London 100 m backstroke Gold 2012 London 200 m backstroke Gold 2012 London 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2012 London 4×100 m medley Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2012 London 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 2011 Shanghai 200 m backstroke Gold 2011 Shanghai 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2011 Shanghai 4×100 m medley Gold 2013 Barcelona 100 m backstroke Gold 2013 Barcelona 200 m backstroke Gold 2013 Barcelona 200 m freestyle Gold 2013 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2013 Barcelona 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2013 Barcelona 4×100 m medley Gold 2015 Kazan 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2015 Kazan 4×100 m mixed freestyle Silver 2011 Shanghai 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2015 Kazan 200 m backstroke Bronze 2011 Shanghai 50 m backstroke Bronze 2015 Kazan 200 m freestyle Bronze 2015 Kazan 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Silver 2010 Dubai 200 m backstroke Silver 2010 Dubai 4×100 m medley Pan Pacific Championships Gold 2014 Gold Coast 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2014 Gold Coast 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2014 Gold Coast 4×100 m medley Bronze 2014 Gold Coast 100 m backstroke

Melissa Franklin Johnson (born May 10, 1995), known as Missy Franklin, is an American former competitive swimmer. She is famous for winning five Olympic gold medals. Missy held the world record for the 200-meter backstroke (long course) from 2012 to 2019. She also held world records in relay races with the U.S. national swim team.

Missy made her Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics when she was just 17 years old. She won five medals, including four gold. She was the best in backstroke, winning both the 100-meter and 200-meter races. Her amazing success earned her top awards like Swimming World's World Swimmer of the Year in 2012. She won a total of 28 medals in big international competitions. These included the Olympics, World Championships, and Pan Pacific Championships. Missy's 11 gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships were a record for women's swimming. This record was later broken by Katie Ledecky in 2017.

Missy Franklin won the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award in 2014. She announced her retirement from swimming in December 2018.

Early Life and Training

Missy Franklin was born in Pasadena, California. She is the only child of Dick and D. A. Franklin. Her parents wanted her to be safe around water, so she started swimming very young. She grew up in Aurora, Colorado. She began formal swimming classes there at age five. Missy went to Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora and finished in 2013.

Both of Missy's parents are from Canada. Missy has dual citizenship for both America and Canada. Her father, Dick, was a football player in Canada. He later moved to the United States for work. Missy's mom once suggested she swim for Canada. This might have made it easier to join a national team. But Missy chose to represent the United States because she loved her home country.

Missy is 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) tall. Her feet are a women's size 13. Her father joked that they were "built-in flippers." She was coached by Todd Schmitz from the Colorado Stars club team since she was seven.

Missy chose not to accept prize money or endorsements during her rise to fame. This allowed her to keep her amateur status. It meant she could compete in college sports. In 2012, she got a scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley. She swam for the California Golden Bears women's team. At Cal, she won four individual NCAA championships. She won the 200-yard freestyle in 2014 and 2015. She also won the 200-yard backstroke and individual medley in 2015. After the 2015 NCAA championships, Missy became a professional swimmer. This ended her college swimming career. She later trained at the University of Georgia. She graduated with a degree in religion in December 2019.

Swimming Career Highlights

Starting Out in Swimming

Missy joined the Colorado Stars swim team at age seven. Her parents didn't realize her natural talent at first. Other parents noticed how good she was. By age twelve, Missy was competing against much older girls. At 13, she tried out for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. She didn't qualify for any events that year. Her best finish was 37th in the 100-meter freestyle. By the time she finished high school, Missy held many Colorado high school swimming records.

First International Medals (2010)

At the 2010 National Championships, Missy qualified for the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. She finished second in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke. Later that year, she won her first international medals. This was at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships in Dubai. She won a silver medal in the 200-meter backstroke. She also got a silver in the 4×100-meter medley relay. For her great performance in 2010, Missy won the Breakout Performer of the Year Award.

World Championship Success (2011)

Missy Franklin warming up in 2012

Missy competed in her first major long course world championship in 2011. This was at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai. She won five medals there: three gold, one silver, and one bronze. In the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, she won a silver medal. She then earned a bronze in the 50-meter backstroke.

Soon after, she won gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Missy's lead-off time was faster than the winner of the individual 200-meter freestyle. She then won her first individual world title in the 200-meter backstroke. She broke her own national record with a time of 2:05.10. This was the third-fastest time ever. Missy also won gold in the 4×100-meter medley relay. Her team's time was the second-fastest ever. For her achievements, she won several awards at the Golden Goggle Awards. She was also named the best female swimmer of 2011 by FINA Aquatics World Magazine.

Setting World Records (2011)

Towards the end of 2011, Missy set her first world record. This was in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2011 FINA Swimming World Cup. She broke the old record with a time of 2:00.03. She was the first woman to break an individual world record since special high-tech swimsuits were banned. Missy set her second world record in December at the 2011 Duel in the Pool. Her team broke the 4×100-meter medley relay record with a time of 3:45.56.

London Summer Olympics (2012)

Missy Franklin at an NFL game in 2012

Medal record
Swimming
Representing the  United States
Summer Olympics
Gold	100 m backstroke	58.33 (AM)
Gold	200 m backstroke	2:04.06 (WR)
Gold	4×200 m freestyle	7:42.92 (OR)
Gold	4×100 m medley	3:52.05 (WR)
Bronze	4×100 m freestyle	3:34.24 (AM)

Before the London Olympics, Missy had to be ready for drug testing at any time. She had to report her location for one hour each day. Missy trained hard for the Olympics. She became the first female swimmer to qualify for seven Olympic events.

Olympic Trials

At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, Missy qualified for four individual events. She won the 100-meter backstroke, breaking Natalie Coughlin's American record. She also placed second in the 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle. In the 200-meter backstroke, she finished first.

Olympic Games

Missy Franklin at the start of the 200-meter backstroke heats in London

On the first day of the 2012 London Olympics, Missy won a bronze medal. This was in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Her team set a new American record. In her first individual event, the 100-meter backstroke, Missy won a gold medal. She broke her own national record. This win came less than 15 minutes after she swam in the 200-meter freestyle semi-finals.

The next day, she placed fourth in the 200-meter freestyle. A day later, Missy won her third medal, a gold, in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Her team set a new American record. She then placed fifth in the 100-meter freestyle.

Missy bounced back in her final individual event. She won her second individual gold in the 200-meter backstroke. She set a new world record of 2:04.06. This made her the first American woman to win this event at the Olympics since 1972. In her very last event, the 4×100-meter medley relay, Missy won another gold. Her team set a new world record of 3:52.05.

At the end of 2012, Missy was named the World Swimmer of the Year. She was also named American Swimmer of the Year.

World Championships (2013)

Medal record
Swimming
Representing the  United States
World Championships
Gold	100 m backstroke	58.42
Gold	200 m backstroke	2:04.76 (CR)
Gold	200 m freestyle	1:54.81
Gold	4×100 m freestyle	3:32.31 (AM)
Gold	4×200 m freestyle	7:45.14
Gold	4×100 m medley	3:53.23

At the 2013 U.S. National Championships, Missy qualified for five individual events. She finished first in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle and backstroke.

Missy Franklin (middle) at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships

At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Missy swam seven events. She won six gold medals. This set a new record for the most golds won by a female swimmer at one World Championships.

On the first day, Missy helped her team win gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. The team set an American record. In her first individual event, the 100-meter backstroke, Missy won gold. The next day, she won her third gold in the 200-meter freestyle.

On the fifth day, Missy won gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. She swam the final part of the race and helped her team catch up. The next day, she placed fourth in the 100-meter freestyle. A day later, she won the 200-meter backstroke again, setting a new championship record. In her last event, the 4×100-meter medley relay, Missy and her teammates won another gold.

Pan Pacific Championships (2014)

Missy competed in the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships even with a back injury. She won one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal. She won her only individual medal, a bronze, in the 100-meter backstroke. Missy helped her team win gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. She also won silver medals in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay and the 4×100-meter medley relay.

World Championships (2015)

Medal record
Swimming
Representing the  United States
World Championships
Silver	200 m backstroke	2:06.34
Bronze	200 m freestyle	1:55.49
Bronze	4×100 m freestyle	3:34.61
Gold	4×100 m freestyle mixed	3:23.05 (WR)
Gold	4×200 m freestyle	7:45.37

Missy Franklin (left) at a victory ceremony in 2015

At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Russia, Missy competed in several events. She won a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. She also won a bronze in the 200-meter freestyle. Missy won her first gold medal of 2015 in the women's 4×200-meter freestyle relay. She also earned a silver in the 200-meter backstroke. Finally, she won gold in the mixed 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

Rio Summer Olympics (2016)

Missy qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in three events. She placed second in the 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter backstroke at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

At the 2016 Olympics, Missy tied for 13th place in the 200-meter freestyle semifinals. She did not make it to the finals for that event. She also placed 7th in her heat for the 200-meter backstroke semifinals and did not reach the finals. However, Missy still won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. She earned this medal by swimming in the heats for the team.

Retirement

Missy Franklin announced she was retiring from swimming on December 19, 2018. She now works as an ambassador for the USA Swimming Foundation. She helps with a national campaign called Saving Lives Is Always in Season.

Personal Bests

World Records Set

• Short course record with Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni, and Dana Vollmer. Missy swam the freestyle part (anchor leg) in 51.32 seconds.
• Record set with Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer, and Allison Schmitt. Missy swam the backstroke part (lead-off leg) in 58.50 seconds.

Personal Life

Missy Franklin's favorite athlete is Natalie Coughlin.

Missy was raised Christian. She became more religious in high school after reading the Bible and taking theology classes. As a Religion major in college, she studied many faiths. These included Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. She also practiced yoga, which became more spiritual for her after learning about its Hindu roots.

Missy got engaged to Hayes Johnson, a former swimmer, on September 22, 2018. They got married on September 14, 2019. In March 2021, they announced they were expecting a child. Their daughter, Sarah Caitlin Johnson, was born on August 11, 2021. On October 31, 2024, Missy announced she is expecting their second daughter.

See also

In Spanish: Missy Franklin para niños

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
• List of United States records in swimming
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
• List of world records in swimming
• World record progression 200 metres backstroke
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay