LONDON — The world finally discovered something Missy Franklin doesn’t do well. Wednesday night, as another huge evening of Olympic swimming ended for the United States, the 17-year-old from Centennial took a little Team USA hacky sack and threw it into the packed crowd at the Aquatics Centre.
Missy, hate to tell ya, but you throw like a swimmer.
But she swims like a shark with the munchies, and her strong opening leg in the 4×200-meter relay helped earn her a second Olympic gold medal. On the strength of Allison Schmitt’s overpowering anchor leg, the Americans won in an Olympic-record 7 minutes, 42.92 seconds.
Australia finished a fading second in 7:44.41, with France taking the bronze in 7:47.49.
It ups Franklin’s medal total to two gold and one bronze with three events left, two of which she or her relay team will be favored. Could the Colorado Stars swimmer come back for her senior year at Regis Jesuit High School with four Olympic gold medals?
It’s entirely possible. Here’s what’s also possible: If she medals in Thursday night’s 100 freestyle — she qualified third — she’ll likely tie Natalie Coughlin’s American women’s record of six medals in one Olympiad.
Missy Franklin? Meet Expectations.
“It’s the most important part: just living in the now,” Franklin said in her team’s news conference. “I still have so many more races. It’s awesome to swim the race, do my best, be happy and proud of how I did and move onto the next one.
“I know after everything’s over, this whole team is going to have a huge celebration and we’re all going to be so happy for each other. That’s when we can all sit back and appreciate everything we’ve accomplished as a team.”
She swam her 100 freestyle semifinal earlier Wednesday evening. But compared to Monday’s 14-minute turnaround, this time she could have read one of her Suzanne Collins novels with the hour and 15 minutes she had between races.
Franklin started out strong, giving the U.S. the lead with a 26.87-second split after 50 meters. She held the lead through 150 meters before France’s Camille Muffat, silver medalist in the 200 freestyle Tuesday night, took the lead and Bronte Barratt, who edged Franklin by 0.01 seconds for a bronze in the 200, edged her again for second.
“I went out a little harder on my second 50,” Franklin said. “I kind of panicked in my individual (Tuesday) when I was out that fast, so I made sure that I tried to keep that for my second 50.”
But Dana Vollmer passed France’s Charlotte Bonnet, and third leg Shannon Vreeland cut Australia’s lead to 0.54 seconds.
When they handed it to Schmitt with that small of a deficit, they may as well have also handed one another gold medals. Schmitt, the 200 free gold medalist, flew by Australian anchor Alica Coutts after 75 meters and cruised home, shredding Australia’s 2008 Olympic record of 7:44.31.
“It was amazing,” Schmitt said. “The confidence from the 200 free, I just had to swim my own race and be able to dive in knowing the three other girls had amazing legs, each one of them. I had confidence in them and wanted to bring it home for them.”
Franklin enjoyed being one quarter of the intensified media focus. She is also becoming a major part of one of the best U.S. women’s Olympic showings in years. Through Wednesday, the U.S. women have four gold medals, three silver and two bronze for nine total. Australia has six medals but only one gold.
Wednesday’s race was the first relay gold medal for the U.S. women since 2004.
“This is the most bonded team I’ve ever been a part of,” said Dana Vollmer, who swam the second leg and was on that winning 2004 4×200 team. “Having Teri McKeever as our head coach, she created a space for all of us that we could actually open up to each other and learn each other’s stories.”
Here’s the rest of Franklin’s story: On Thursday, Franklin swims prelims and semifinals of her specialty, the 200 backstroke, in which she has the top time in the world. She then has about a 40-minute break before her 100 freestyle final at 12:30 p.m. MDT.
She must beat the Netherlands’ Ranomi Kromowidjojo, who has the top time in the world; China’s Yi Tang, who clocked the second-fastest time of the prelims; and Australia’s Melanie Schlanger, who has the fourth-best time.
Franklin’s best time is 53.52.
John Henderson: 303-954-1299, jhenderson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnhendersondp
