Somewhere in private, Missy Franklin will be presented the fifth gold medal of her Olympic swimming career. She earned it. She helped the United States earn the top qualifying position in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay Wednesday afternoon at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
The four teammates who won the final, though, were the ones honored in the public podium ceremony.
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The biggest American female swimming star four years ago in London, Franklin stood aside for Katie Ledecky, Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith and Maya Dirado to race late Wednesday evening.