Lukas At The Olympics

• Lukas Devereux, Grade 3
• Short Story
• 2021

The crowd was roaring my name, my ears were ringing. The sweat was dripping down my face and the butterflies in my stomach were cheering me on. It was my fourth time standing on the sidelines waiting to be called up. I was looking for my fifth Olympic skateboarding champion title hoping victory would be mine.

I am up, this is my big moment. The nerves were beyond control but I was excited at the same time. The crowd goes wild for the Australian team. They love me and clap so hard that their hands begin to go red. I stand on the edge of the bowl and begin my first move. It was spectacular. The crowds cheer and I feel great. I skate around like nothing is going to stop me until I landed awkwardly and toppled off the board with a double triple backhand jump. My team is devastated. I feel hopeless. The gold medal is out of reach. The butterflies come back as I wait for my score. Many thoughts are going through my mind. How could I fall off? What points will they take off me? Have I done enough or will I lose my chance at winning gold again?

My score was finally revealed. I got 8.7. It was enough to steal gold from China and the crowd went wild. It felt so good. There was sweat everywhere but it was worth it. I did a flip and a tail whip as I celebrated my fifth gold medal. I am the best skater in the world. I sang the national anthem at the medal presentation. I was the winner of the 2021 Olympics.

What I did not tell you at the beginning was that I was born with one arm. Now you are saying how do I do that well? I will tell you, hard work. Not watching TV or caring about what I look like. Just hard work.

I went home after the Olympics and my family were so proud of me for winning gold again. I went to bed and thought what will I do next?