19 June 2012
It's time. The moment I've been working for all my life.
Ever since I was a youngster, it's always been basketball. All I ever cared about. My mum and dad both died in the accident. My grandmother looked after me, but she was always a distant figure. She was kind hearted, but never realised the kind of care I needed. When she died, 7 years ago, she left me half of her money; the other half went to charity. Finally, I could get the proper care, and training that I needed.
At school they called me 'cripple' and 'retard' but I tried to ignore them. Sometimes, I'd come back home to my foster parents in tears, but when I played basketball, all my worries seemed so much smaller.
Now I am here. After all those years of training.
After the accident, all my hopes and dreams seemed shattered. Now, they're all coming true. I'm at the Olympics. Even if it isn't quite the way I planned it.
The crowd roars in my ears, screeching and cheering.
I get ready, taking steady breaths. In, out, in, out. Calm. Breathe.
I take my place at the front line, my eyes fixed steadily on the teenager opposite me.
The shrill screech of the whistle slices through the silence like a gunshot.
Let the Paralympic games begin.
Olympic Dreams • Opuss № I