Focus of attention

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

BEIJING -- Count on a lot of photographers focusing on Tuesday morning’s qualifying round of the women’s javelin.

The object of their objectives will be Leryn Franco, who won’t be around long in the competition, given that she has just the 53rd best throw this season among the 56 entrants.

But it isn’t often one finds a javelin thrower who was second in a national beauty contest and entered the bikini contest, where she certainly was a medal contender, as evident in these photographs.

Franco, 26, has been competing internationally for a decade. She was 42nd at the 2004 Olympics.

-- Philip Hersh