Olympic Dream

• Nethmi Irugalbandara, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2012

OLYMPIC DREAM

“Today is the day the day have waited for the past four years my first ever Olympics’’ I whispered to myself quietly as I placed my feet onto the starting blocks. I could feel the stamina in my body just waiting to be released I could already taste victory I could feel my whole country on my shoulders.

READY, I take a deep breath, SET I break a sweat along the side of my face, then the gun pistol shoots, I sprint with all my hopes and dreams on the line, I can feel the wind blowing intensely in my face as I hear an immense cheer coming from the crowd as I take the lead by a few centimetres.

I was halfway across the race track then for a second I slowed down but I was still jogging spontaneously. I felt confused I had a million thoughts rush through my head I saw a glimpse of my family in the crowd but for some totally unknown reason my grandma stood out in that crowd, I could almost taste her triple fudged mouth-watering cookies, I shook my head and I came back to my senses within a few seconds. I had only realized I was falling behind, I sprinted as fast as I could my legs felt like they were going to collapse literary. Now I’m less than a meter away from the finish line so I sprint with all the strength left in me. Within 7 seconds I cross the finish line.

I hadn’t realized I had won gold until my name appeared on the big board in seconds photographers were taking millions of pictures of me I felt like I was the centre of attention. In the next few minutes on the big board it said….

NEW WORLD RECORED!!!! With my name on it. Suddenly my heart melted with glee. I looked directly into the crystallized light blue sky. My heart started a slow repetitive beat then got faster and faster then there came a stage when my heart felt like it was pumping faster than the cheater could run, I could feel the energy in my body It felt like I have had a sugar rush, I had sweat dripping drown my back, I felt like a new person I felt like I was on top of the world.

I will never forget the day of the 2012 London Olympics that changed my generation for ever.

25 years later I still embrace the shiny gold medal that I proudly put my tears of pain, sweat, and tears of joy into to my success. I am still the most -proud living human of all mankind.

By Nethmi Irugalbandara