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SAINT-DENIS, France — American-born Palestinian runner Layla Almasri realizes the weight of responsibility that she and her team carry at the Paris Olympics. It's about far more than merely competing. She says that "I think I can speak for all eight of us here at the Olympics. We're definitely diplomats for our people as well as athletes." It hardly mattered that Almasri finished last in her heat and 48th of the 49 finishers in the 800-meter heats. She said she "just soaked in the moment." Her father left Nablus for Colorado and Almasri was born and raised in Colorado.
