U.S. swimmer Missy Franklin poised for Olympic magic

Great things are expected of American swimmer Melissa (Missy) Franklin, who could potentially earn up to seven Olympic medals in London and become the queen of the pool.

Indeed, London could be a coronation for the 17-year-old.

A high school senior in Denver, Franklin qualified for seven events at this summer’s U.S. trials — no American woman has ever competed in more than six at any Olympics.

Franklin will be entered in the 100- and 200-metre backstroke and the 100 and 200 freestyle events, in addition to all three relays, once the swimming competition begins on July 28.

The road to Olympic greatness was established at the 2011 world championships in Shanghai, where she won five medals (three gold, one silver and a bronze).

If Franklin earns seven medals in London, she would surpass the U.S. female record of six won by Natalie Coughlin at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The 200 backstroke is Franklin’s best event. She holds the American record and the fastest time in the world this year. She also broke the short-course world record in Berlin weeks after competing at the worlds.

Franklin’s toughest test will come on consecutive days (July 30 and 31) as she’ll compete in both the 100 backstroke and 200 freestyle events, respectively. Gold medals in those two events would transform her into a superstar.

It won’t be easy, particularly in the 100 backstroke. She will get stiff competition from all two medallists at the 2011 worlds:  Zhao Jing of China (gold), Russian Anastasia Zueva (silver).

Another obstacle facing Franklin is the grandiose spectacle of the Games. No amount of international meets can prepare an athlete for her anxiety-filled Olympic debut. Franklin admitted to battling nerves at the U.S. trials prior to her first event.

"I need to make sure I'm doing what's best for me, and that's making sure I'm ready to explode once I get to the Olympics," she said.

Franklin has been a pool rat since her parents first introduced her to the water as an infant, growing into a 6-foot-1 frame with flipper-like size-13 feet.

"She does have good technique," said CBC Sports swimming analyst Byron MacDonald. "She has a really good coach [Todd Schmitz] and is benefiting from a good program. They work really well together. The coach has never had an international [swimmer at the Olympics] before but it worked out really well."

Canadian connection

Franklin was born in Pasadena, Calif., but her parents, Dick and D.A., are Canadians. Dick Franklin played university football at St. Mary’s in Halifax, where his teammate was none other than CBC Sports broadcasting legend Steve Armitage, who played quarterback.

Franklin holds dual citizenship, and it was reported that her mother had recommended she swim for Canada, reasoning it would give her an easier route to the Olympics — but D.A. adamantly dismisses this notion.

Missy Franklin’s roots remain embedded with the U.S. program, and the thought of competing for Canada was never considered.

But one can imagine the smile on the face of Swimming Canada CEO and national coach Pierre Lafontaine if Franklin had elected to compete north of the border.

Brit under microscope

No other athlete carries the enormous weight of a nation's expectations quite like 23-year-old Brit Rebecca Adlington. She was a double gold medallist in the 400 and 800 freestyle competitions in Beijing, while adding the 2011 world title in the 800.

The problem rests on two fronts: new challengers in the 400 and a questionable supporting cast.

Adlington has been knocked off her 400 perch. After winning Olympic gold, the British star has watched Federica Pellegrini win the last two world titles and break the world record, despite the soap opera that’s surrounded the Italian in recent years.

Adlington must also deal with surging Frenchwoman Camille Muffat, who has posted sizzling times during the last nine months and appears invincible heading into London.

Should Adlington somehow not earn a medal on July 29 and the rest of her teammates struggle, she will feel the wrath of a merciless British press.

"She’ll be lucky to get the bronze and that will set the English media press to a flutter," said MacDonald. "It will certainly set it off because their [England] boys are really on a wing and a prayer. They don’t have any boys that look like they’re going to medal. They have a sprint girl [Francesca Halsall], but the sprints are really rich, so I don’t know if she’s actually going to have a chance."

The stress will only magnify if both scenarios play out by the time Adlington takes to the platform five days later in the 800 final. Although she’s considered a heavy favourite to walk away with gold, performing under pressure in front of a home crowd can play funny tricks on some athletes.

"Adlington should deliver the gold for hometown fans," predicted MacDonald. "She’s so much better [than everyone else] in the 800. Hopefully she can handle the pressure."

China a potential player

The Chinese team has not been getting a lot of ink, but it could be one of the biggest surprises in the pool, especially on the women’s side.

While Sun Yang is the undisputed star for the men, counterpart Ye Shiwen took up the mantle for the women on home soil, upsetting the field en route to the stunning world title in the 200 individual medley last year. As long as she can handle being a front-runner, Ye should duplicate her gold-medal effort.

The 16-year-old isn’t the best female swimmer in the 400 IM, yet could sneak onto the podium because the field for the top three spots is wide open.

Combine the men with Ye, 100 backstroke world champion Zhao, the three women’s relay teams, and China could be a major player by the time all the swimming events conclude.

"They could be on the podium a dozen times and that would place them firmly as the third-best swimming nation in world [behind the U.S. and Australia]," said MacDonald.

Canadian contenders

200 breaststroke

With Canada on the verge of being shut out of the medals for two consecutive Olympics, Victoria’s Ryan Cochrane gave his country a massive shot in the arm when he won an unexpected bronze in the men’s 1,500 freestyle in Beijing.

Can Tera Van Beilen do the same?

That will be up for debate as the Oakville, Ont., swimmer prepares for her first Olympic Games. The 19-year-old, who is also racing in the 100 breaststroke, opened a lot of eyes during the Canadian championships in Montreal in March. The 200 breaststroke was supposed to see world-record holder Annamay Pierse keep her place at the top.

Instead, Van Beilen seized the spotlight, posting one the fastest times (2:24.03) in the world this year. Martha McCabe also qualified. Pierse — ending two trying years — finished fifth and was reduced to tears when she realized her Olympic dream had vanished.

As the best hope on the women’s side, Van Beilen’s composure will be put to the test against the best in the world.

"I wanted to race and have fun and be more happy when I came out," Van Beilen said after the Canadian trials. Keeping the same frame of mind will be paramount for the Olympic rookie to reach the podium. 

MacDonald thinks Van Beilen has the ability to win a bronze medal — no one will likely come close to American Rebecca Soni — but needs to overcome some inconsistencies.

"She’s really come from nowhere in the last 12 months so maybe she’s got that in her," said MacDonald, who believes Van Beilen will be a serious gold-medal threat at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. "I think if the Olympics were next year, she’d have a real shot. If her trajectory of improvement keeps up, she could squeeze in for the bronze."

McCabe, the 2011 world bronze medallist, is the wild card for this event. It would be asking a lot for the Toronto swimmer to drop two seconds off her best time and win a medal, but she's been consistent and a top-six finish is possible.

100 backstroke

CBCSports.ca blogger Julia Wilkinson made a name for herself during her Olympic debut four years ago. Racing in six events in Beijing, the Stratford, Ont., native set the Canadian record in the 100-metre backstroke and was part of three relay teams that also set national marks. However, Wilkinson suffered a shoulder tear and missed the next season. The injury was devastating, yet Wilkinson didn’t give up and has battled back to regain her spot among the top 10.

"The good news for Julia is that she’s dropped one or two events from her program," said MacDonald.

"Last Olympics she swam too many races. This time she’s honed it back a little bit. The downside for Julia is I don’t know if she’s as strong as some of the other women. She’s very lean but she doesn’t seem to have the power — again this is probably because of her shoulder surgery. She hasn’t been able to gain the power that a lot of these girls she’ll be racing have. But she’s top 10 in the world … she’s got a shot at it."

Burlington’s Sinead Russell is entered in both the 100 and 200 backstroke, with the latter being her stronger race.

100 butterfly

Katerine Savard of Pont-Rouge, Que., was eighth in the world last year, only to lose confidence after a disastrous showing at Canadian trials. Perhaps the pressure of performing in Montreal got the better of the 19-year-old. As odd as it seems, the Olympics could be a more relaxed atmosphere for Savard.

Relays

Canada has a shot at advancing to the finals of all three relay teams, with the 4x100 medley team tabbed as the best bet for the highest result. The coaches will have six swimmers to choose from: Wilkinson or Russell (backstroke), Van Beilen or Jillian Tyler (breaststroke), Savard (butterfly) and Victoria Poon (freestyle).

"Because other teams have weak links we could challenge," said MacDonald. "I think we’re going to be the best of the rest. There’s going to be three or four teams that are really good, and we’ll be with everybody else, but we might not be good enough to be in the medals."