World Record

I just watched Missy Franklin break the world record for the women's 200 meter backstroke.

As swimming records go, she smashed it by more than half a second.

She's 17.

These people live strange lives. At 17, how many hours has she logged in pools, swimming lap after lap? Compared to most folks, Olympians exhibit a level of focus that looks like monomania.

You see the focus in her face,
the drive that brought her to this place,
to share this strange amazing grace.