The only constant in life is change, even for Olympians like Missy Franklin.
The 2016 Olympics officially became a failure for the USA swimmer Thursday, just four years after she raced to the pinnacle of the sport. Franklin leaves Rio de Janeiro with only one medal — a gold she earned by swimming in the preliminary heat of the 4X200-meter freestyle relay before her teammates clinched the victory without her — and heaps of personal disappointment.
And to think she became an American sporting hero after winning four gold medals at the 2012 Games in London. Success served Franklin a stark reminder of how fleeting it can be.
What’s certain at this point are the facts: Franklin failed to progress from the semifinals in the women’s 200-meter backstroke Thursday and thus failed to medal in a single individual event.
Slate.com’s Laura Wagner speculated earlier this week that the demands of sponsors and school, combined with injuries and a changed training regime, could be to blame for Franklin’s fall from grace in Rio.
Questions will surround Franklin’s swimming future for months and years to come. The most painful one will be whether her best days as a swimmer are in the past.
Franklin is just 21 years old, though. Perhaps better days are ahead.
Thumbnail photo via Erich Schlegel/USA TODAY Sports Images
