She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She would be called at any moment now. Shaking her arms and legs (one at a time) as to control her anxiety, she realized it wasn’t the event that was making her heart skip a beat. But, just for now, she had to control it.

The first name was called and a pant escaped her lips. Control yourself. Another name. And another. She figured her name would be called somewhere along the middle, as she had one of the fastest times. But now, “one of the fastest times” wasn’t enough. She wanted to be the fastest, she wanted to win. And it wasn’t just for her.

After two or three names after – she couldn’t really tell, her mind was drifting – her name was called.

“You can do this.”, she assured herself and stepped outside the booth. The sound of screaming and applauses immediately flooded her hears and she could almost swear she heard her name being yelled. Scanning the seating areas, she found her friends and teammates and soon a sense of responsibility infested her body. After taking her shirt, shorts and slippers and placing them inside her box, she awaited.

“You can do this.”, her mantra was working, she could feel her heart beating stabilized.

A short whistle blast was heard and she headed to her block, number six. An unwanted thought crept on her mind and she couldn’t help but to blush, smiling weakly.

A long whistle was heard and she shook her head as to keep the thought away, just for awhile. Stepping on the block, she put on her goggles and fixed her blue cap, with her club logo.

“You can do this.”, she whispered as she looked towards the bench, where her friends were. One sweet smile stood out among them, followed by a mouthed “I believe you” and she felt as if all the strength in the world was with her now.

Another long whistle was blown, signaling the athletes to grab the gutter and get into position.

“You can do this.”, she chanted for the last time, more confident than ever.

The bip started the competition and she dived into the pool.