AURORA, Colo. (AP) — After days of mourning the mass shooting at an Aurora movie theater, Coloradans are celebrating hometown native Missy Franklin’s triumphs at the London Olympic Games.
The 17-year-old swimmer attends Aurora’s Regis Jesuit High School and lives in the nearby Denver suburb of Centennial. Following the July 20 shootings, she dedicated her Olympic races to her home state.
Franklin won a gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke Monday after having opened her games with a relay bronze.
She has become a much-needed cause for cheer in a state that has seen its share of pain this year with destructive wildfires and the movie theater shootings. Her steady rise long has been chronicled by Colorado news media, and on Tuesday The Denver Post emblazoned her gold medal triumph on its front page under the headline, “Missy’s American grit.”
