A silver lining has appeared on the injury cloud hovering over American swimming superstar Missy Franklin ahead of the Pan Pacific championships on the Gold Coast.
Alarm bells were ringing for the world No.1 US team when Franklin - a six-time 2013 world titles gold medallist - succumbed to back spasms at the training pool on Tuesday night.
However, the Americans were quietly confident the four-time Olympic gold medallist would contest the four-day meet starting on Thursday after Franklin completed a low-key recovery session on Wednesday afternoon with "minimal discomfort".
"It was very therapeutic and felt great being back in the water," said world record holder Franklin who was due to race in the 200m freestyle and 100m backstroke on Thursday.
However, the US team won't make a final call on her availability until Thursday morning.
But in an encouraging sign, a US swimming release said on Wednesday night: "Like any high performance, world-class athlete who has trained thousands of hours, Missy has endured minor aches and pains, with back spasms not previously being a factor for her".
Franklin added late on Wednesday: "I am feeling drastically better every hour that goes by and hoping and praying that I will be ready to race tomorrow.
"We will consistently coordinate with team doctors and staff to make the best decisions for myself and my team."
It capped a remarkable turnaround just hours after a US team official painted a grim picture when Franklin was a no-show at their official medias conference on Wednesday.
"It's a fluid situation," he said when asked about Franklin who attended Tuesday's training session with her back heavily strapped with medical tape before being escorted away in tears due to the spasms.
Franklin has up to seven events in sight including relays at the Pan Pacs.
Australia's world 100m freestyle champion Cate Campbell did not have to be told how important Franklin was to the Americans' Pan Pacs cause.
"She is a superstar, the ultimate professional," she said.
"She is always going to be a tough challenge.
"She doesn't lose very often and doesn't like to lose very often."
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