SHANGHAI - Missy Franklin of the United States led from start to finish to win her first individual gold medal of the world championships, finishing first in the 200-meter backstroke.
Franklin, who has a gold and silver in American relays and a bronze in the 50 backstroke, finished in a time Saturday of 2 minutes, 05.10 seconds.
Belinda Hocking of Australia won the silver medal in a time of 2:06.06 while Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands earned the bronze in 2:07.78.
