Special Olympics athlete focuses on the finish line

EL MONTE, Calif. (KABC) -- When she runs, Laura Cook gets in the zone.

"When she gets out to the track, when I get there, her lights come on, my lights come on. She gets focused on what she needs to do for that day and she works as hard as anyone I've ever been around," Cook's coach Danny Harris said.

All that work has paid off as Cook is set to compete in the Special Olympics World Games this summer.

"The love she has for running and athletics is just infectious and it makes me proud to be her coach," said Harris, who won a silver in the 1984 games.

Competing in the Special Olympics is not a big deal for Cook. She's been in plenty of big races, but for her parents it's a different story. The Special Olympics is huge.

"You're talking about the whole world," Cook's father Karl Cook said. "It doesn't get any bigger than that."

Cook is competing in three events: 1500 meter run, 800 meter run and the 4 x 100 relay.