Suburban Chicago triple jump Olympian heads to Paris with focus on mental health

CHICAGO (CBS) — Professional triple jumper Tori Franklin is preparing to compete in her second Olympic games for Team U.S.A., but the Downers Grove South graduate overcame obstacles to get to Paris.

Franklin was introduced to the triple jump early in her track and field career, which started at Downers Grove South High School.

"I was maybe a freshman in high school," she said. "The coach was like, 'Hey, try this thing,' and I was like, 'I don't want to do it,' but it stuck."

She took her talents to Michigan State University and has since traveled around the world as a member of Team U.S.A. Seeing the uniform for the first time is still a special memory for her.

"It did come in the mail, actually, and I looked at that uniform, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is official. Look at the colors,' because growing up, you see them on TV at the Olympics," Franklin said.

Franklin competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and will be suiting up for Team USA a second time this summer in Paris. But earning a bronze medal at the U.S. trials to get there didn't come easy.

"I tore the bottom of my foot, the plantar fascia, while at World Championships, which it's typically a six to 18-month recovery, but I kinda just been pushing it," she said. "The fact that I was able to come back and jump and make the Olympic team I am proud of."

Part of Franklin's journey has also been about helping others by being open about her mental health throughout her career.

"I went through a lot of bouts of depression that were brought about by seasonal depression or because of my sexual abuse that happened when I was little," she said. "Me trying to find my way back to health, back to self love, back to worthiness, it was not an easy journey. That's also what I talk a lot about in my book, 'You Anthem,' that talks about the tactics I used."

This time, Franklin is preparing for Paris and is looking forward to a chance to improve her Olympic debut performance, placing 25th in Tokyo.

"I've been on a journey to building myself back up, and I did that in 2022 when I became the first woman to medal at a World Championship competition, so I'm just excited to be able to go to Paris and continue that," she said.

Franklin lives and trains full-time in Greece but still comes home a few times a year and has made it a priority to give back to her hometown to establish a nonprofit based in Chicago.

"It's called the Live Happii Project, and our big goal is to take inner city youth on international trips to learn about different culture, how to get closer to the land, and to get more understanding of their-self. We're supposed to get some kind of growth from these experiences and I would just say for people to keep that in mind and not let them hold them down."

Franklin is also an author and public speaker. She started her nonprofit in 2022. From Sept. 19 through Sept. 29, Chicago will host a week-long period of workshops called Live Happii Week.

For more information, visit TheLiveHappiiProject.org .