;Seventeen-year-old American Missy Franklin’s vertiginous physique is anchored by a pair of seal flippers — size 13 feet. It takes her so long to get from heel to toe, she rolls along as if she’s on board a ship in heavy water.
Chinese 16-year-old Ye Shiwen was pointed toward the pool as a 9-year-old when her schoolteacher noticed the size of her hands. In China, promising youth are funneled into sports programs when unusual physical characteristics are remarked.
Abnormally large paws. That’s the end of the similarities between the two emerging pool stars of London 2012, both gold medallists looking for more.
Franklin, an endearingly gawky giantess, belongs to that long line of Canadian fish tales — “The one who got away.” She was born in California and raised in Colorado, but both of her parents are Canadian. Her father Dick was drafted by the Argos.
As a 12-year-old, Franklin’s parents asked her to pick the country she would compete for. Her mother, D.A., pushed for the easier road in Canada. Franklin instead chose what she knew.
Swimming Canada played no role in this decision. At the time, they didn’t realize Franklin had Canadian roots. In the last two years, according to Swimming Canada boss Pierre Lafontaine, they’ve expanded their efforts to recruit the kids of expats living in the U.S. One of them — Colorado freestyler Brent Worsley — is competing in the maple leaf here.
No comments:
Post a Comment