"My goal was to be the Olympic swimmer with more medals of all time, and I didn't get it"

Collaborates in the projects developed throughout the world Laureus Sport for Good

The former American Nanner Missy Franklin, a member of the laureus academy, shares the pain and frustration of Olympic athletes from around the world who will not be able to compete in Tokyo this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.Franklin, five times Olympic gold medal, was forced to retire prematurely for an injury in 2018, so he has had two years to accept the frustration of missing Tokyo's appointment

"I never waited for my career to end at 23.I never wanted it to be so.My ultimate goal was to be the Olympic swimmer with more medals of all time, and I did not get it.That was something that from the moment I entered the London Olympic pool, I really thought I could get, "he explained in an interview with Laureus.com."It makes a dream and a goal even more difficult to lose, when you really think you can do it, and you don't get it,".

Missy, who will celebrate his 25th birthday on May 10 in Denver, where he has been confined with her husband for two months, believes that "the postponement of the Olympic Games, however hard it is for athletes, was the right decision.He has allowed athletes to put their health first at this time, stay at home and, therefore, avoid potentially at risk ".

"Each athlete will have to deal with this.There is no country or a group of athletes that will have an advantage.The pitch will be the same for everyone from the first day at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, "he added.

What difference can make a year for aspiring Olympic gold medals?Missy is not sure.

"Sport is sport and you never know what is going to happen in a year.Look at Katie Ledecky in 2012.No one knew who he was in March, and she won a gold medal in August.Then it became the Katie Ledecky that we all know.I think it will be more complicated is for those who thought about retiring after 2020.That will need a totally different type of mentality ".

Potpourri Recipes, Are, Perhaps, Something I Should Have Looked Up Before Making Potpourri

— bryn 'king meowdas' catseed Sun Dec 04 22:51:30 +0000 2016

Who wanted to see Missy in Tokyo?

"There are so many.Regan Smith is one of the women in the United States and was nominated for the Laureus Revelation Prize.He beat my world record on the 200 back, and also beat the 100 back.It is fast and beautiful swimming in the back style.I love being able to see her swim no matter what happens.Seeing Katie Ledecky is always wonderful, his domain is incredible.Ryan Murphy is one of my best friends, he made incredible games in Rio, and I really think he will repeat it in Tokyo.And then I think that Nathan Adrian's is a really incredible story;He has gone through very hard moments, cancer diagnosed, he underwent a treatment and came out.It is one of the greatest sprinters that swimming has seen and will see, but I don't think it can set limits to what it is capable of achieving ".

With the Olympics in the background, Missy and her husband Hayes are now fully focused on the fight against coronavirus.

"I want to thank all those in the front line right now, to all who work in a hospital, doctors, nurses.We have several friends who are nurses or emergency doctors, or who continue working in hospitals.I can't think of a major sacrifice ".

"I think what the world needs now is what Laureus has been doing since its foundation.It is about joining the people, it is about having a bridge between individuals and communities and seeing the power of what happens when we work together, and I think we need that message more than ever ".

Missy remembered a visit that made a program supported by Laureus to help the youth of Sri Lanka, which caused a great impression."I had the opportunity with Laureus to visit the foundation of goodness in Sri Lanka, and it was one of the most surprising experiences of my life.The tsunami hit that area in 2004 and you can really see the statues that have erected in honor of those who lost their lives.You can still see the line that reached water in some buildings, more than three and a half meters high, "Missy recalls."But you can also see what they have built from that, the school, the fields, the pool.Many of the projects that Laureus supports are what happens after some misfortune, when people gather and choose to do something good about it ".

In the last 20 years, Laureus Sport for Good has raised more than 150 million euros for the development sector for development, helping to change the lives of almost six million children and young people.Laureus Sport for Good currently supports more than 200 programs in more than 40 countries that use sport to transform lives.