Olympic Games

• Sam Harris, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2012

I walk out onto the track and the atmosphere blows everything out of my mind. I really hope that was a lot of support for me and not anyone else. I walk to my lane number three, hoping I will win gold.

I am standing in my lane next to my seven other opponents not quite ready to race. Behind my mark I stand nervous yet surprised to make it to the final.

My goal is to get a time under ten seconds and to win the gold medallion for Australia. I just keep getting more nervous every time the crowd screams out some positive communication to the racers. I am sure I wasn’t the most popular when I ran my first race against some of the best in the world but now I stand here as the only Australian to race the final. Now the crowd is on my side I feel like I have to win the gold medal.

I am now tying up my final lace on my new Nike Zoom Waffle XC 10 all I have to do now is just put my jacket and tracksuit pants in my bucket full of drinks food and plenty more. I now stand up and jump on the spot for a while.

“On your marks,” I now start to get butterflies in my tummy while asking myself,
“Why now, why do we have to start now.” I press up to my mark then put my feet on it. I slowly press my fingers to the line....

“Get set,” The last thing I do is take a quick glance at my coach, he doesn’t say anything all he does is point two fingers at his own eyes then points them at the finish line.

“Go!”
I have an amazing start I am right up to the other racers. I push and put everything on the line. Only fifty meters to go, I push again I am sure I’m close to winning gold. I don’t look back only forward. I stick my head out as far as I can for the last five meters I make a massive step over the line “SLAM!” my foot hits the ground.

I look around to see the crowd going off, I’m sure they know who won so I look up on the big screen. I won the gold medal for Australia. I not only just won the medal, but I’ve put the Australians on top of the medal tally. For a moment a take glance at my coach then jog towards him. He says some pretty positive stuff like winning by .34 of second. My coach hands me the Australian flag then tells me to run a victory lap. I reflect on my eleven year journey to reach this point, the sacrifices I made, and the effort I put in. I look around me now to the people calling my name and I am complete.