Chapter 5 - DARE TO DREAM

Chapter 5 - DARE TO DREAM...1

The year is 2012, and I'm in the best place in the world, London, at the Olympic Games, and I'm not part of the crowd, I'm not part of the press, and still I'm there, I'm part of the phenomenon. Where am I? I'm on the track, living the dream I had when I was first aware of what it means to be a legend...2

During my life, five Olympics took place, Barcelona 92', Atlanta 96', Sydney 00', Athens 04', Beijing 08', but the first time I've felt it was in Sydney, that was the first time I actually watched the Olympic Games, from it's first second to it's last, I never missed an event, I was there, and I can't help to remember that feeling, can't describe it either. That feeling has no name, and I never felt it I only saw it in the eyes of those 20 people who entered the arena for the first time in 4 years, I saw passion, I saw happiness, I saw inner peace, I saw everything that's worth living for, and I believe that's when I said "WOW! I want this..."3

And that's how it happen, that's how my dream was born, that's how I found my purpose in life, what was it? To participate at the Olympic Games, and now I have accomplished my goal, I'm here feeling it myself, everything I had to give up, all the sacrifices, all the intense training, all the hours spent on the stadium, it was all worth it, and I'm glad I did it.4

I'm finally entering the arena, and my dream becomes reality, and as one dream dies another is born, I mean I'm here ain't I? The first rule of winning is to participate, I've done that, what's next?5

I had one Hell of a qualifying round, I was number 4, very close from number 3, so now, as I'm entering the stadium once again for the final, I want a medal. So it begins, "the most important fight of my life", and I jump, and as the minutes grow older, I realise more and more, that my first jump, might just be enough to win, and as I enter the 6th round of jumps, I'm leading, but I also perform last, so I got to witness them trying to steal my victory, the favorite of the event just finished the greatest jump of his life, in the greatest competition of his life, so I'm second. What it takes to win it? I don't know. So the question now is: Can I do what I don't know...? I don't know that either. But what I do know is that if I make it I'm past, present and future all together, I'm history, so my motivation is there, my qualities are there, my body is there, it's time to get my mind there too...6

So I take one last walk to the pitch, I look at the sand, I touch the sand, and then, SILENCE. I don't hear anything, not anymore, this is the first step, and the second one is beginning, I'm loosing my vision, and I can see nothing more then my lane and the pitch, this is it, no or never, this is my shot of making it to immortality, this is my date with history, am I gonna be late...?7

It's over, my jump it's over, it's valid, it's being measured, it's enough, I win, I'm the champion...8