Missy Franklin

Missy Franklin is a five-time Olympic gold medalist and multiple world record-holder in the sport of swimming. Franklin, who was raised in Centennial, Colo., began swimming competitively at the age of five and competed in her first international event at the age of 14. As a member of the U.S. National Swim Team, Franklin competed at UC Berkeley before turning professional. Her choice to swim collegiately and forgo sponsorships and prize money was well documented during the 2012 Olympics, but swimming for a college team was something that was very important to Franklin. In her two years competing at Cal, Franklin earned four individual NCAA titles and helped UC Berkeley win the 2015 NCAA Women’s Division I Swimming and Diving Team Championship. She was also awarded the 2015 Collegiate Woman of the Year and awarded the Honda Cup for her collegiate athletic achievements. Franklin retired from competitive swimming in December of 2018.