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Sorry, Missy Franklin, but unless Senator Marco Rubio’s bill to exempt medal-winning Olympians from paying taxes passes, you’re going to owe Uncle Sam another $8,000-plus.
That’s because Franklin just won a gold medal in the 200 meter backstroke, setting a world record in the process.
As noted by Fox News in the post linked above, Franklin finished the race in two minutes, 4.06 seconds, three-quarters of a second faster than previous planetary record holder Kirsty Coventry, a Zimbabwe swimmer who wore a bodysuit that was subsequently banned.
Silver medalist Anastasia Zueva of Russia and U.S. teammate Elizabeth Beisel, who took the bronze, finished well over a second behind Franklin — a sizable margin at this level of competition.
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Among those who witnessed this feat was U.S. Olympic basketballer Andre Iguodala, who tweeted the following:
Just saw Missy Franklin break the 200m backstroke record!
#teamusa— Andre Iguodala (@mindofAI9) August 3, 2012
The rest of us will have to wait until tonight: Thanks, NBC! But it’ll be well worth waiting for.
More from our Sports archive: “Missy Franklin owes $21,000 in taxes for medals: Should Olympians be exempt?“