'Wonder Woman' Missy Franklin has world at her feet

Missy Franklin has already equalled the women's record for the most world championship golds of nine and the six she claimed in Barcelona last week were more than any female swimmer has won before at a single edition.

It is small wonder one breathless rival dubbed the teenager "Wonder Woman without a cape".

After blazing a trail in the Catalan capital, following up on her four golds and a bronze at last year's London Olympics, the perpetually chirpy 18-year-old from Colorado is poised to embark on a new adventure at the University of California at Berkeley in a few weeks. If all goes well she can expect another hatful of medals at the next world championships in Kazan, Russia, in 2015 before gearing up for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro a year later.

She has spent more than a decade with coach Todd Schmitz, but will now join up with Teri McKeever at Berkeley's prestigious facilities and follow in the footsteps of the likes of Olympic champions Natalie Coughlin, Dana Vollmer and Jessica Hardy.

"My last year with Todd is very bittersweet because we're in our 11th year together now," Franklin, whose favourite event is the 200 backstroke, said. "A very, very long time, but I couldn't be more excited to go to Berkeley and to work with coach McKeever."

Franklin's exploits in Barcelona have inevitably prompted comparisons with decorated compatriot Michael Phelps, though she still has some way to go to match his 18 Olympic golds and 26 world championship titles.