London Olympics 2012: Stars to watch out for

Missy Franklin, the rising star of the American swim team, is heading to her first Olympics, seemingly oblivious to the hype that awaits her and the weight of expectation she will lumber on her broad shoulders. The 17-year-old swam at the last Olympic trials four years ago but did not make the team. She returned to her Colorado home determined to do better next time and has emerged faster and tougher than before. Franklin learned to swim when she... more 

Missy Franklin, the rising star of the American swim team, is heading to her first Olympics, seemingly oblivious to the hype that awaits her and the weight of expectation she will lumber on her broad shoulders. The 17-year-old swam at the last Olympic trials four years ago but did not make the team. She returned to her Colorado home determined to do better next time and has emerged faster and tougher than before. Franklin learned to swim when she was five. A big kid with huge feet that work like flippers, she was a natural and quickly stormed up the age group charts. In 2010, she made her first senior national team for the Pan Pacific Championships but it was in 2011 that she showed why she has been marked for Olympic greatness. At the world championships in Shanghai, she won five medals, including three golds, and the cast was set. Franklin heads to London with the chance to become the first female swimmer to earn seven gold medals at a single Olympics. It was more than she expected but said the way she coped with it convinced her she could succeed in London. less