RIO DE JANEIRO -- In a hallway beneath the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, Missy Franklin was surrounded by the media after her first race of the Rio de Janeiro Games.Until Katie Ledecky walked by.At least half the reporters bolted away from Franklin while she was in mid-answer Monday, all of them eager to fire a few questions at Ledecky.It was the clearest sign yet of the changing of the guard on the U.S. womens swim team.Franklin was the darling of the London Games, a high schooler who captured four gold medals and the hearts of everyone back home with her bubbly personality.Ledecky won gold in her only London race -- quite an accomplishment for a 15-year-old -- but her triumph was dwarfed by Franklins long shadow.Now, its Ledecky who is poised to be the biggest womens star in Rio. The 19-year-old already has two medals and one world record, blowing away the field Sunday night in the 400-meter freestyle.By the time Ledecky is done, she very well could have four golds and a silver, which would surpass Franklins medal haul (four golds and a bronze) in 2012.Franklin seems to have accepted her fate.Its so hard knowing all the work you put in everyday and then to get here and be so far behind where you feel like you can be, she said, her eyes tearing up.Franklin isnt anywhere close to the form she showed four years ago.She struggled mightily at the U.S. trials, qualifying for the team in only two individual events and one relay -- a far cry from her seven-event program at the London Games.Her first event of the Olympics gave scant evidence that shes suddenly regained her speed over the past month. Franklin failed to qualify for the final of the 200-meter freestyle, finishing last in her semifinal heat and posting only the 13th-best time among 16 swimmers. She actually went slower in the evening than she did during the afternoon preliminaries.Ledecky, on the other hand, cruised into the final as the second-fastest qualifier, with a time of 1 minute, 54.81 seconds -- nearly 3 seconds faster than Franklin.For Ledecky, this is already her third event of the games. For Franklin, it was the first chance to swim after sitting out the first two days.She conceded that her confidence level is really different than it was before the London Games.Its been awesome coming back here and just kind of accepting the expectations I have now, and knowing thats just to do my best, Franklin said.Ledecky, of course, is aiming so much higher.Nothing less than gold in any of her remaining events will do.I feel like every year at the big championship meets, my stroke just feels as good as it ever has, she said. Once I get going, its kind of hard to stop.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . Clearance NHL Jerseys . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. NHL Jerseys Outlet . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Fake NHL Jerseys . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Discount NHL Jerseys . PAUL, Minn. When Connor McDavid takes the ice in the Edmonton Oilers season opener Oct. 12, hell become the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 years, 273 days old.McDavid was captain of his junior team in Erie and of Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey, so it was no surprise that the talented player got the C for the Oilers.Oilers coach Todd McLellan called McDavid mature beyond his years and an ambassador of the game like Sidney Crosby, a fellow No. 1 pick who also became captain at a young age.McDavid is only 45 games into his NHL career and his history as Oilers captain is yet to be written. Heres a look at how the previous five youngest captains in NHL history fared with that responsibility:VINCENT LECAVALIERSelected captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2000 at 19 years, 315 days old, the 1998 No. 1 pick lasted only a season and change before he clashed with coach John Tortorella and was stripped of the captaincy, which was given to veteran Dave Andreychuk. Lecavalier blossomed into a star and was a point-a-game player and alternate captain when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004.Lecavalier was the face of the franchise in Hockey Bay and served as captain again from 2008-2013 before he was bought out of his contract.GABRIEL LANDESKOGOne of the youngest players to lace up his skates in the top Swedish mens league, Landeskog was captain of the Ontario Hockey Leagues Kitchener Rangers and got the C for the Colorado Avalanche after his rookie year. The 2012-13 lockout forced Landeskog to wait several months to start on the job at 20 years, 57 days old.Landeskog helped Colorado make the playoffs in 2013-14 and the thoughtful Swede quietly remains one of the most respected players in the league.ddddddddddddSIDNEY CROSBYCrosby was the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft of the Pittsburgh Penguins and became a franchise-changing superstar. He had immediate impact and proved to be among the best in the world. Crosby was 20 years, 59 days old at the start of his third NHL season when he first served as captain and led Pittsburgh to the Cup Final several months later.Crosby lifted the Cup as a 21-year-old in 2009 and again as a 28-year-old in June.JONATHAN TOEWSThe Chicago Blackhawks followed the Crosby model by making Toews captain before the 2008-09 season. He was 20 years, 164 days old in his first game with that job. He also won the Cup young, lifting it in 2010 and then again in 2013 and 2015 as the most accomplished captain of the salary-cap era.Toews earned the moniker Captain Serious and along with Crosby is a gold standard for young captains.STEVE YZERMANBefore McDavid, Landeskog, Crosby and Toews were born, the Detroit Red Wings made Yzerman captain at 21 years, 153 days old back in 1986. Yzerman had on-ice success and adjusted his game under legendary coach Scotty Bowman to the point that he was considered one of the most trusted two-way centers around and a top leader.The Red Wings won the Cup in 1997, 1998 and 2002 with Yzerman leading the way. Hes now in the Hockey Hall of Fame.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno . ' ' '
