She's already been compared to Michael Phelps and even dubbed "America's sweetheart."
And she's only 17.
So what's next for Missy Franklin, the emerging swimming superstar who won gold and set a world record in the 200-meter backstroke on Friday?
And after her impressive coming-out performance in London, Franklin has got a big decision ahead of her. Olympians of her stature can get serious endorsement dough, but in doing that Franklin would lose her amateur status and disqualify herself in the eyes of the NCAA. Basically, Franklin's got to answer the million-dollar question: to go to college or to cash in?
All signs point to the former. Franklin has already turned down endorsements so she can retain her amateur status, and she has said she would like to compete in college.
So how much does Franklin stand to lose? Possibly as much as $2 million. But it's impossible to know.
"I don't think you could put a dollar amount on it," Evan Morgenstein, President and CEO of Premier Management Group, told USA Today in regards to Franklin's marketing potential. "Over the next four years, she could be the highest paid Olympic athlete in the United States."
The good news for Franklin is that even if she does decide to swim in college, she's got plenty of time to cash in (she'll only be 21 at the Rio Olympics in 2016).
And luckily for Franklin, she's getting solid financial advice. Her father, Dick, was a corporate executive with Reebok and Head.
-- Follow Robbie Levin on Twitter @RobbieLevin.
