BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Missy Franklin was at the Super Bowl cheering for her beloved Broncos last month, and the Olympic champion stood with the rest of apountry Monday in her admiration for Peyton Manning on the day of his retirement announcement.
“I’m so happy that Peyton really took the time to make the decision that was best for him — that’s really what matters,” Franklin said during an appearance at the Olympic Media Summit Monday at a Beverly Hills hotel. “I’ve met him a couple times, he’s always been so gracious. I’m just so thrilled that it really couldn’t have ended any better, that he had such an incredible career with the Colts and then with us. To end it on a Super Bowl win, I’m just so happy for him.
“I’m going to miss him terribly, but it was also really cool that I got to see his last game in person.”
Franklin was outstanding last weekend at a meet in Orlando, Fla., recording the fastest time in the world this year in winning a 100-meter backstroke in 59.8 seconds. It was her first meet in a while that gave her a confidence boost.
“I was really happy with how things went,” Franklin said. “It really felt, for the first time in a while for me, that my practice was finally showing up in my races — which is what’s been so frustrating. To get under a minute in my 100 backstroke was huge. I was really thrilled with how everything went.”
Franklin had been frustrated because she’d been faster in practices recently than ever before without seeing corresponding results in competition.
“That’s just incredibly frustrating,” Franklin said. “Now I feel like I’m really being able to translate what I’m doing in workouts to my races, and the little things I’m working so hard on are really starting to show up in my races, which is just like the best feeling.”
She’s still enjoing the afterglow of the Broncos’ third Super Bowl win. She was 3 years old when the Broncos won their last Super Bowl with John Elway as quarterback.
“It was amazing,” Franklin said of attending her first Super Bowl — and Manning’s last. “Someone brought it up the other day, ‘Do you realize you saw his last game?’ I was like, ‘No! That’s so cool!’
“Von Miller, he’s our man. Our defense is absolutely amazing. There were definitely a couple moments of not breathing during that game, but it was a blast. For it to be my first Super Bowl, having it be the 50th Super Bowl, and having it being Peyton Manning’s last game — it was so amazing to be there.”
John Meyer: jmeyer@denverpost.com or @johnmeyer
