I stood there behind the diving blocks of lane four. It was one heat before my swim race. I was trying to swim my race through my head, trying to imagine my name on the results at the top. I had painfully trained all year for this one event, I was ready, I knew that. Slowly doubts started to creep into my mind, "What if they trained harder?"
"What if my goggles fall off?"
"What if I slip on the dive?"
Every passing second doubts were leaking into confidence like when food coloring is poured into the clear water, drop by drop. I was set on getting the golden medal, the greatest accolade in every swimmer's mind.
The preceding heat was just starting their last lap, trying to make a final dash for the wall. The person next to me in lane five* accosted me and said in a acidulous tone, "Don't get in my way you skinny short guy." Then he left. I looked at myself, he wasn't right, but he wasn't wrong either. My arms weren't very big, but there was still some thickness to them. The bigger problem was that he was on the other end of the scale with huge biceps and monstrous looking chest.
The starter told us to step onto the block. Two steps to the top of the block then you get into diving position and wait.
"Take your marks!"
We waited for a grueling ten second then-

BANG!

The gun went off.



* usually lane 4 is the person who has the fastest time going in and lane five is the second fastest.