Missy Franklin is supposed to be the next Michael Phelps, and the 17-year-old's trials with the U.S. Olympic team will be the first time most people see her race.
While Franklin is already a big deal in die-hard swimming circles, she is a relative unknown at this point. However, most Americans and the rest of the world will see her remarkable talents in the pool during the 2012 Olympic Games.
Her success at the age of 17 is more than most swimmers reach in a lifetime, and puts her in an elite group that includes Phelps.
She's won the Golden Goggle award and was named Female Athlete of the Year by FINA, which means that she's really, really good. It essentially calls her the best female swimmer in the world.
Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer to ever grace the water with his presence, called her a stud.
She competed in the 2011 FINA World Championships, taking home five medals (three golds) and two American records, one in the 200-meter backstroke and one with the 4x100 medley relay team that she anchored.
Franklin has become the breakout star of the sport so far, but because swimming is not a prominent sport in the United States except during the Olympics, she has flown under the radar.
Now that she begins her first Olympic Games in London, people won't have a choice whether or not they want to hear about her. The 17-year-old is about to take London by storm.
The 6'1" American from mile-high Colorado has the charisma to charm the world as she looks for her first gold. And her second. And her seventh.
Yes, that's right. A 17-year-old has a chance to win almost as many medals as Phelps won in Beijing, which would put her at one behind the record for a single Games.
"The Missile," as she's been dubbed, is almost guaranteed to be on at least one medal podium by the end of the London Games, but it all starts in Omaha.
Franklin must first qualify for four different events if she is going to win seven medals. There is little doubt that she can win that many, if not more.
The trials will not only be the stepping stone for her Olympic Games, but they will also be the first chance for most of the world to see her swim.
With all the hype that has surrounded her (from being called the next Michael Phelps to turning down prize money to swim in college), Franklin is guaranteed to be a huge storyline during the Games.
This may be the best chance that the world will get to see her race before she goes to London, and you'd be foolish to pass it up.
Colton Gilies Justin Falk Robbie Eal Joe Callahan Bryan Allen Mark Cullen
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