The effervescent Missy Franklin has laid out a bold (but certainly attainable) dream for her swimming career.
“Without a doubt, I feel totally free to say it’s my absolute dream to become the most decorated female Olympian, or female swimmer Olympian of all time, I should say,†Franklin said in a “60 Minutes Sports†profile that first aired Wednesday night.
Franklin, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of California, won five medals (four gold) in her Olympic debut at London 2012.
She must take at least eight more Olympic medals to surpass the record of 12 captured by her U.S. swimming predecessors — Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin. Coughlin, who earned a medal in every one of her Olympic races, is still active at 32.
The most decorated female Olympian across all sports was Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who bagged 18 medals. The most decorated Olympian is Michael Phelps, at 22 (and possibly counting).
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