Photo: Missy Franklin and Justin Bieber, together again for the first time

While homegrown Olympic heroine Missy Franklin won lotsa hardware in London, she may have landed her biggest prize last night, when she finally got to meet Justin Bieber, who killed her with a tweet last July. And even though he looks sorta stoned in their photo backstage at his sold-out...

By Michael Roberts

January 8, 2013

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While homegrown Olympic heroine Missy Franklin won lotsa hardware in London, she may have landed her biggest prize last night, when she finally got to meet Justin Bieber, who killed her with a tweet last July. And even though he looks sorta stoned in their photo backstage at his sold-out Pepsi Center show -- perhaps because he followed our five tips for getting blunted in Denver -- there's no weed in sight in the pic, seen full size below.

Her reply was even more effusive, and nearly fatal:

"@justinbieber: heard @franklinmissy is a fan of mine. now im a fan of hers too. CONGRATS on winning GOLD! #muchlove" I just died! Thankyou!
— Missy Franklin (@FranklinMissy) July 31, 2012

Of course, Franklin continued to collect baubles after that, and during an interview with Bob Costas, she learned that Bieber had promised they'd meet. This pledge was kept last night, as Franklin confirmed on her Twitter feed.

With the Biebs He truly is a wonderful and genuine person! Such an honor to meet him! instagr.am/p/UNCsx3Qybe/
— Missy Franklin (@FranklinMissy) January 8, 2013

Here's the accompanying photo:

As you can see, Justin looks a little blunted, even though he's not holding the sort of "cigarette" captured in the following TMZ image: Still, we're confident Missy is still sailing on a genuine (and natural) high.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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