5-Time Olympic Champion Missy Franklin Weds Hayes Johnson in Denver

Five-time Olympic gold medalist and 11-time world champion Missy Franklin married former Texas swimmer Hayes Johnson in Denver, Colorado Saturday.

The duo got engaged in September 2018 and have been extensively documenting their wedding planning on social media since. Franklin started putting up popular “Wedding Wednesday” posts on Instagram, revealing details of the event every week in the lead-up.

Photos of the event are starting to trickle in, mostly from the photographers on hand. One post suggested People Magazine has exclusive access to the rest of the photos.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2am987nAgT/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2afENVB0N-/

Olympians Hali Flickinger and Cierra Runge, as well as Cal’s Kristen Vredeveld were among Franklin’s bridesmaids. Elizabeth Beisel, as well as Josh Prenot and his wife Tiffany, were also in attendance (and likely lots more swimmers who have yet to post on social media).

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2a9wCHhaq0/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2b9DsNArxL/

Franklin, 24, became the darling of the swim world in London in 2012, when she won the 100 back and 200 back, and as part of the 800 free and 400 medley relays. She won bronze with the women’s 400 free relay and narrowly missed the podium in the 200 free (she was fourth) and 100 free (she was fifth).

Franklin swam two years for the University of California, Berkeley before turning pro in 2015.

She made the 2016 U.S. Olympic team but didn’t medal individually; Franklin took gold as a prelims swimmer on the 4×200 free relay. She had double shoulder surgery in early 2017 and later that year started training with the men’s professional group at Cal. She would later move to Georgia to start a comeback run with that pro group, but missed USA Swimming’s National Team and travel teams in the summer of 2018.

She announced her retirement with a long-form letter on ESPNW in December of last year that detailed her post-2012 battles with “shoulder pain whenever [she] tried to train or compete, depression, anxiety and insomnia.” It also included that she “began to realize that [her] greatest dream in life, more so than Olympic gold, has always been becoming a mom.”

Johnson, who swam for Nashville Aquatic Club before the Longhorns, is currently president of Swimmingly, an app aimed at streamlining the organization of swim meets. In his swimming days he qualified for both the World Youth Championship and National Junior Team. He competed at the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials and was a finalist at the 2009 World Championship Trials. He also won an NCAA title with Texas before he graduated in 2012.

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zswam
4 years ago

was the wedding sponsored by Sony?

Texas Tap Water
4 years ago

Congrats to Missy!

She looked absolutely beautiful!

Shibly
4 years ago

USA women 800m freestyle relay team miss you

intriguing
4 years ago

Didn’t know Missy and Katie Hoff were buds.

marklewis
4 years ago

What does Missy do now that she’s retired from swimming? Is she working for Speedo in public relations or something like that?

Did she finish college or still working on her degree?

dmswim
Reply to  marklewis
4 years ago

From her social media, it looks like she was full time wedding planning with some appearances sprinkled in for the past 6 months or so. It will be interesting what she does now. She’s made statements about wanting to have children, so maybe that will happen soon.

Togger
4 years ago

Johnson-Franklin
Stubblefield-Harrington
Grant-Vollmer

With those genetics and legacies, there’s got to be some great recruiting battles coming up in 20-30 years.

Yozhik
Reply to  Togger
4 years ago

“eugenics

the science of improving a human population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics. Developed largely by Francis Galton as a method of improving the human race, it fell into disfavor after the perversion of its doctrines by the Nazis. ”

Lucky we. Otherwise we would never see the world record of 6’2″ Franklin crashed by 5’7″ Regan Smith.

Landrew
Reply to  Yozhik
4 years ago

You say that word, I do not think you know what it means

CBswims
Reply to  Togger
4 years ago

Laughed pretty well at that.

Might be an interesting study – to see if relationships in the 80’s 90’s brought a statistically notable list of current/potential stars.

Togger
Reply to  CBswims
4 years ago

Only one I can think of is Gus Borges (dad obviously Michigan, mum Florida). Sure there are others though.

Also, huge congrats to Missy, didn’t get back in time to edit the first post.

CT Swim Fan
Reply to  CBswims
4 years ago

Isn’t Trenton Julian the son of 2 excellent swimmers?

swimmerTX
Reply to  CT Swim Fan
4 years ago

Yes. Both parents swam at USC, interesting he came to Cal (although he is clearly thriving in NorCal).

USA
Reply to  CBswims
4 years ago

Let’s not forget both of Clark Smith’s parents swam at Texas with his mom making the 1984 Olympic team

Jay Ryan
Reply to  CBswims
4 years ago

i think he has been at least 48.8 flat start

Miss M
Reply to  Togger
4 years ago

David and Emma McKeon are the children of swimmers – Susie and Ron swam at the Commonwealth Games together, Ron was an Olympian and their uncle is Rob Woodhouse (Susie’s brother).

JimSwim22
Reply to  Miss M
4 years ago

Was Gary Hall Sr’s wife a swimmer?

Admin
Reply to  JimSwim22
4 years ago

His wife is Mary Keating, of the swimming Keatings. I assume she swam at some point in her life being from the Keating family, but I don’t know of any grand national or international accolades earned by her in the pool.

Dunc1952
Reply to  Braden Keith
4 years ago

Mary swam at Nationals
Did Roland Mattes and Kornelia Ender ever produce little (big?) swimmers?

JimSwim22
Reply to  Dunc1952
4 years ago

Thanks dunc1952. I didn’t see anything about hey actual accomplishments beyond that she was a swimmer.

13 % Chinese person
Reply to  Dunc1952
4 years ago

They had a healthy baby very shortly after 1976 Olympics who later did some swimming butwould have been 12 at the collapse of the DDR . Even if she was high DDR level , few wanted to or were given the opportunity to train for the new Germany . Also they divorced & later statements by Matthes were shitty.

Jay Ryan
Reply to  Dunc1952
4 years ago

Mary’s brother Charlie Keating Jr was the 3rd USA 200m Olympic Breaststroker in 1976

Admin
Reply to  Miss M
4 years ago

Rob being the 1984 Olympic bronze medalist in the 400 IM, and general manager of the London Roar.

DMSWIM
Reply to  Togger
4 years ago

Hardy-Meichtry too

Swim For Ever
4 years ago

What a beautiful bride – Congrats and so thrilled she is doing well.

Lpman
4 years ago

The only thing that could have made their day more special is if Shane Tusup showed up in his yoga pants

Taa
Reply to  Lpman
4 years ago

Sun Yang photobombing while holding a hammer in these photos would be hilarious

Becky D
Reply to  Taa
4 years ago
Taa
Reply to  Becky D
4 years ago

Thanks

Lpman
Reply to  Taa
4 years ago

Agreed. Then he hulk smashes the cake, calls everyone a loser and throws a bouquet filled with blood vials.

About Torrey Hart

Torrey Hart

Torrey is from Oakland, CA, and majored in media studies and American studies at Claremont McKenna College, where she swam distance freestyle for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team. Outside of SwimSwam, she has bylines at Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, SB Nation, and The Student Life newspaper.

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