Swimmer Missy Franklin New Face of American Olympians
2012 London Summer Olympics

[ Check Out Stunning Pictures from the Opening Ceremony ]

London, England

When swimmers Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps and gymnast Jordyn Wieber struggled in their respective events, the Americans desperately need someone to inspire and boost their campaign in the 2012 London Games.

Then came Missy Franklin, the 17-year-old girl from Colorado who wowed everyone with her athleticism and enthusiasm at the pool and energetic and magnetic persona outside the competition area.

Franklin grabbed headlines by winning gold in the 100-meter backstroke with just 15 minutes of rest after grabbing a spot in the 200-meter freestyle finals, an impossible feat for many swimmers to accomplish.

In his record run at Beijing where he competed in eight events, Phelps had 30 minutes of rest between competitions.

Earlier, Franklin earned a bronze medal swimming the first leg of the 4x100 freestyle relay Sunday and she has a shot at her third medal, and second gold, in Tuesday night's 200 freestyle.

Franklin could earn up to seven medals as she is scheduled to compete in seven events in her first Olympic stint.

"They're fun for me," Franklin said. "I love getting out there and swimming and getting those nerves out of the way and then coming right back and swimming again. It's so exciting for me. I have so much fun with it. It makes the experience easier to take in, I guess. I know I'm not going to have these many opportunities. I love it."

After the 200-meter semifinal, Franklin took a few steps and jumped into the diving well for an abbreviated postrace warm-down session to maintain a normal routine where he was greeted by Phelps.

"Michael came up to me in the [regular] warm-down pool," Franklin said. "He was so awesome. He gave me a huge high five and said, 'I can't believe you just did that.' He told me the most he had was 30, and it was so awesome and he had a big smile on his face. To have that coming from such a big role model of mine meant the world to me."

Aware of the immense physical and mental challenges Franklin is facing in her first Olympic stint, her teammates regularly gave her advice on how to deal with pressure and expectations.

Now that she has won her first medal, Franklin said she will remain as an amateur to fulfill her dream of competing in the NCAA, putting aside possible million-dollar endorsements and appearance fees.

"It's definitely going to be hard with everything that's coming up," Franklin said about the offers that she expects to receive. "But I'm not thinking about that right now. I'm waiting for the end of the meet, but we'll see what happens. Swimming collegiately is something I've always wanted to do. I have a passion for it."

After days of mourning the mass shooting at an Aurora movie theater, Coloradans are celebrating hometown native Missy Franklin's Olympic triumphs. The 17-year-old swimmer goes to school in Aurora and lives in nearby Centennial