Olympian Missy Franklin Says She "Really Can't" Swim After Devastating Injuries

Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin revealed in a new interview why she “absolutely” won’t come out of retirement after suffering multiple shoulder injuries. Read more about what she had to say.

Olympian Missy Franklin is diving deep into her life after sports.

The 25-year-old retired athlete, who became a household name after earning an impressive four gold medals at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, explained that competitive swimming is pretty much part of her past.

Speaking to People, Missy revealed she can barely swim after suffering multiple shoulder injuries.

"I really can't," she told the outlet on Oct. 21. "I mean, my shoulders are in so much pain that I can maybe hop in the pool and swim easy for 20, 30 minutes, but that's about as much as my old broken shoulders can handle at this point."

"I never got the second shoulder surgery that I needed...," she added. 

Missy announced her retirement in December 2018, just two years after gaining her fifth and final gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. When asked if there's a possibility she'll make a comeback and return to swimming, she put it simply, "Absolutely not."

"I don't really see getting back in the water at this point in my life being the best thing for my physical or my mental health," she expressed. "I kind of feel like I've given everything I possibly could to the sport and now it's to do good outside of the water."

If anything, Missy is enjoying her home life with her husband and former swimmer, Hayes Johnson.

The two tied the knot in September 2019 and recently celebrated their one-year anniversary.

"To the man who makes my world go round. You are all my favorite things wrapped into one. You continue to awe me with your hard work, passion, dedication, and love, to our marriage and to everything else in your life," Missy expressed of her husband on Instagram on Sept. 14. "This year, despite everything going on in the world, has been the best of my life and I truly think that speaks volumes about what life is like loving your best friend."

She concluded, "No matter what life throws at us, we have each other. I get to lie down beside you every night, and wake up next to you every morning, and that's all I will ever need. Happy 1st Anniversary my dear. Here's to 100 more."

Since the coronavirus pandemic, the newlyweds have been spending even more time together and Missy doesn't mind. She gushed, "Honestly, I am absolutely obsessed with my husband."

"My husband and I just feel so blessed because we're very positive and optimistic people," she added, "and you give us any situation and we will do everything within our power to make sure we're seeing the silver lining and the glass is always half-full."

You can read Missy's full interview here.