Missy Franklin Sets Record With Sixth Gold Medal At World Championships [VIDEO] Youngest To Reach Plateau And First Female To Do So

Missy Franklin sets record with sixth gold medal at the World Championships Sunday in Barcelona, Spain, setting history as the first woman to win that many gold medals during one meet and the youngest to do so.

"I still can't really believe that it happened," Missy Franklin told the Associated Press after she sets the record after a team-victory.

Missy Franklin set the record sixth gold medal of the world championships Sunday night swimming the leadoff leg for the Americans in the 400-meter medley relay. Franklin gave the U.S. a slight lead in the backstroke, and her teammates - Jessica Hardy, Dana Vollmer and Megan Romano - made it look easy from there, according to the AP with a winning time of 3 minutes, 53.23 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of runner-up Australia, with Russia claiming the bronze.

"I had some really great races that I'm really proud of, and there's still a bunch where I have a lot of room to improve," Franklin said. "So I'm really excited for the next year and the year after that and all the years following those."

After the 18-year-olds success during the 2012 Olympics, Franklin wasn't sure what to expect next.

"I just wanted to see where I was after London," Franklin said. "It's kind of an unknown year. There are so many things that can happen."

Franklin became the winningest female swimmer ever at a world meet. It was a record that shared by Libby Trickett in 2007 and Tracy Caulkins in 1978 of five gold medals. Franklin has become only the sixth swimmer to capture at least six golds at the worlds or Olympics.