Missy Franklin

Missy Franklin is the athlete who makes me believe joy and dominance can coexist. A Pasadena native standing 188 cm, she won five Olympic golds and held the 200-meter backstroke world record for years, all while excelling in college swimming at Berkeley. That balance of elite results and academic commitment impresses me as much as the medals. What I remember most, though, is the smile; she carried herself with a warmth that rarely survives at that level of pressure. The Laureus Sportswoman of the Year honor confirms her place at the top, but to me her real gift was making greatness look generous.

Name (English)

Missy Franklin

Name (Japanese)

メリッサ・フランクリン

Reading

めりっさ・ふらんくりん

Born

May 10, 1995 (age 31)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Taurus / Boar

Origin

Pasadena, California, United States

Height

188 cm

Occupation

swimmer

High school

Regis Jesuit High School

University

University of California, Berkeley

Awards & achievements

• 2013 Best U.S. Female Olympian ESPY Award
• 2014 Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year
• 2015 Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award
• 2015 Honda Sports Award for Swimming & Diving

• Xhttps://x.com/MissyFranklin
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missy%20Franklin
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A1%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BB%E3%83%95%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q117867

Tags

• California
• swimmer

Last updated

2026-06-23

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.