Beautiful Colorado is no stranger to Olympic athletes; in fact, Colorado Springs houses one of the country’s Olympic training centers and for good reason. Colorado’s altitude plays a significant role in the training and preparation of hundreds of Olympic hopefuls every year.

The Summer Olympics are well underway and this year the world was graced by a young teenage girl from Centennial, Colo. Melissa “Missy” Franklin. She holds a team world record in the 4x100 meter medley relay and an individual world record in the 200-meter backstroke. On Monday, Franklin took to the pool after a 10-minute break between heats to compete in the 100-meter backstroke and emerged golden with a record time of 58.33.

Franklin walked away medaling in two competitions, starting her Olympic prowess in dominating Colorado-fashion and making a lot of U.S. and home state spectators proud.

The U.S. is currently tied for first in the medal count with nine golds, eight silvers and six bronzes. Six of the Americans golds have come from the swim team along with six silver and four bronzes, while the U.S. shooting team holds two golds. The American gymnastics, diving, archery and judo teams all share the remaining four medals.

The men’s basketball team will face Tunisia in the preliminary round while the women’s soccer team takes to the field to face the North Koreans.

In football: The Denver Broncos appear to be on track with the start of training camp last week, drawing in a record-number of fans to Dove Valley on day one. Peyton Manning’s first practice in pads was a breeze, although Manning rarely aired out the ball, he’s showing steady progress with his rehabilitation and a probable promise of Super Bowl play.