FRANKLIN FIRED UP
First meet of 2016 “exciting”
The Summer Olympics are still seven months away, but anticipation for the Games in Rio de Janeiro will heighten the buzz on the pool deck at an important meet this weekend in Austin, Texas, and no one will be more revved up than Missy Franklin.
“It’s just really exciting because it’s the first meet of an Olympic year,” Franklin said. “It was so fun celebrating the newyear at home withmy parents. It was crazy. We just had to sit there and take it in for a minute: Oh, my gosh, it’s 2016, we’re heading into another Olympic year, ho won earth is it already 2016? We just couldn’t wrap our minds around the fact that four years really did go by that quickly.”
The Arena Pro Series event at the University of Texas, Friday through Sunday, is one of four major meets Franklin plans to swim at before the Olympic trials June 26- July 3 in Omaha. Heightening her excitement for this one will be the presence of two key international rivals, Katinka Hosszu of Hungary and Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden.
“Those are two of the best in the world, so it’s going to be super exciting having them there,” Franklin said. “It’s just a great way for us to start off 2016 and really see where we’re at.”
Franklin suffered some “pretty big disappointments” at the world championships last summer in Kazan, Russia, coming off a college season when she led the University of California to an NCAA team title before turning pro. At worlds she claimed silver in the 200- meter backstroke and bronze in the 200- meter freestyle while earning two more medals in relays, but she finished fifth in the 100 back and seventh in the 100 free.
Franklin and Colorado Stars coach Todd Schmitz are upbeat about her fitness now.
“I feel like I’m stronger than I’ve ever been,” said Franklin, 20. “I just had an unbelievable couple weeks of training that I am so proud of. I’m really excited for Austin to go out and see where I’m at. I’ve been working so hard and been seeing such great results in the pool and in the weight room. I’m really confident going into Austin, and going into this year.”
At the U. S. Winter Nationals last month, Franklin won the 100 back and 200 back, and took silver in the 200 free. Her times compared favorably with those she swam at the same meet four years ago in the training buildup to the London Games.
“I was very happy with the progression I’ve seen since Kazan,” Schmitz said. “Her 100s, both her 100 free and her 100 back, were faster than shewas in 2011. Her 200s were slightly slower, by like a tenth ( of a second).”
Those are important markers because they compare her performance at the same points in her training schedule.
“We have the chance to look at nationals and say, ‘ OK, here aremy times this year, here are the times I went in 2011 before 2012, where am I?’ ” Franklin said. “We can look at my stroke count, my stroke rate, compare and see where we’re at. I’m so happy about how training’s been going, the times I’ve been going in practices.”
Half the U. S. national team will be competing in Austin, and the competition is sure to be intense.
“It’s going to be a fast meet,” said Schmitz. “It’s going to be, ‘ Hey, welcome to 2016.’ I don’t think Sjostrom has ever raced in the United States before, so that’s pretty cool. With Missy, we put some goodwork in right before Christmas and right after Christmas. It’s January, so I think you’ll see some different levels of people tapering ( resting for the meet), because it’s far enough away from our trials. We’re not tapering. We rested a little bit for nationals to see where we’re at. She won’t taper again fully until Olympic trials come around.”