TOKYO — It’s too bad America didn’t get to see more of Tori Franklin during these Olympics.
A former standout at Downers Grove South, she competed in the triple jump but did not make the final. The preliminary rounds don’t get much as much attention, so U.S. viewers didn’t get to know Franklin, who is always a crowd favorite for the way she leads spectators in a group clap before she heads down the runway.
Franklin, 28, is equally engaging off the field. She is a smart and funny athlete who can talk about social justice issues, the financial aspects of the sporting world — she has a degree in economics from Michigan State — and her passion for Chicago’s many cupcake shops. Franklin writes a powerful blog that details, among other things, the obstacles of being a professional athlete and a Black woman in the United States.
She also never intended to become a triple jumper.
As a freshman at Glenbrook North High School, she dreamed of become a pole vaulter. Assistant girls coach Tara Hoeft-Runde, however, took one look at Franklin running on track and knew she could be a fantastic triple jumper.
“She was good at everything,” Hoeft-Runde told the Tribune. “She had long legs and a body control that is rare for girls her age.”
Hoeft-Runde told her to give it try. Franklin wanted none of it.
“I was genuinely upset,” the Olympian said. “I cried when I got home because I had been dreaming of being a pole vaulter.”
Hoeft-Runde persisted. She never could have predicted Franklin would compete in the Summer Games someday — “That was all Tori,” she says — but she told the teen if she worked hard enough, she could make it to the state championship.
The results came almost immediately. Franklin qualified for the state tournament her freshman year, the start of a stellar high school career.
“She is good at everything,” Hoeft-Runde said. “She has a great attitude and works really hard.”
Her family moved to Westmont that year, forcing Franklin to transfer from Glenbrook to Downers South. She went on to become a state champion and an All-American selection in the triple jump but never forgot the coach who saw something in her from the start.
In 2011, Hoeft-Runde, who had followed Franklin’s success after leaving Glenbrook, found a note from Franklin in her classroom one day.
“I’m going to Michigan State on a scholarship,” it said. “Thank you making me do the triple jump.”
A decade later, she received another message from Franklin after she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.
“Thank you for making me do the triple jump,” it said.
And there might be more such notes in the future. Already back at training following her disappointing showing in Japan, Franklin intends to compete at the Paris Games in 2024.
“Most definitely,” Franklin said.
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