RIO DE JANEIRO _ Missy Franklin's disappointing Olympics came to an abrupt end Thursday in her signature event.
Franklin, who owns the world record in the 200-meter backstroke, finished 14th out of 16 swimmers in the semifinals and failed to advance. Her time _ 2 minutes 9.74 seconds _ was almost six seconds slower than the record she set in 2012.
"I felt like David facing Goliath but I didn't have any stones in my pocket," Franklin said.
Four years ago, Franklin became the breakout star of the London Olympics when she captured four gold medals _ including both backstroke races _ and won over fans with her wide smile and bubbly personality.
Similar success eluded Franklin, 21, at these Games. She finished last in her semifinal heat of the 200-meter freestyle earlier this week and didn't advance.
On Wednesday, she swam the second leg of the U.S. 800-meter freestyle relay during the preliminaries but was dropped for the final. She still collected a gold medal _ the fifth of her career _ after her American teammates won the final later in the day.
