Olympian Missy Franklin On Swimming’s Highs And Lows, Then Facing Depression

Missy Franklin was the golden girl of the 2012 London Olympics. Night after night, she stood in the spotlight, her broad swimmer’s shoulders draped in medals and her impossibly bright smile dazzling fans and sponsors.

Four years later there was crushing disappointment. Franklin lost every one of her individual races in Rio de Janeiro. She’s spent much of the time since then battling depression.

“I had based my identity completely into the sport of swimming,”  she said. “When the winning stopped it’s, ‘Oh my gosh, what else do I have to offer?’ Like, I am nothing if not swimming, if not successful.”

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