Missy Franklin Wins Record Sixth Gold At Worlds

Swimming champ Missy Franklin won her record sixth gold at the World Championships this week. The sixth gold helps Franklin, who dominated during last year’s London Olympics, join elite company.

The 18-year-old made an impressive performance during last summer’s Olympics, coming away with four golds and a bronze. But the world championships win solidified Franklin’s dominance in the sport.

Missy Franklin can now call herself the winningest female swimmer ever at worlds, reports ESPN. She also proved that her competitive edge is just getting better.

Franklin was helped to her record by the women on the 400-meter relay team. Franklin, Jessica Hardy, Dana Vollmer, and Megan Roman cruised to victory with a time of three minutes, 53.23 seconds. Runner-up Australia was two seconds behind.

The previous record for gold medals at worlds was held by two women, Tracy Caulkins and Libby Trickett. Caulkins won five times in 1978 and Trickett tied that record in 2007, notes Fox Sports. But Missy now stands out above the rest.

Missy Franklin is also only the fifth swimmer to capture six or more gold medals at either worlds or the Olympics. That club also includes Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz, Ian Thorpe, and Kristin Otto.

The enormity of her accomplishment wasn’t lost on the 18-year-old, though she did admit it would take some time to sink in. Missy commented, “I still can’t really believe it happened.” In all, Franklin competed in eight events over the week. She dropped out of the 50 backstroke after the preliminaries and took fourth in the 100 freestyle.

But everything else was gold. Franklin added that worlds was a good competition for her, because it helped her see where she was at after the London games. She added, “It’s kind of an unknown year. There are so many things that can happen.” But for Franklin, that included a new record.

Do you think Missy Franklin will continue to improve as her swimming career goes on?

[Image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]