The aquatic stadium in Paris was noisier than usual. The warm-up sessions for the preliminary rounds were underway, with swimmers moving in and out of the lanes like a restless tide. Countries were gathering, coaches were whispering strategy, and spectators were already filling early seats even though the main events were still a day away.
Dayo stood beside Coach Richard near one of the warm-up pools, both of them watching the chaos in silence for a moment.
Richard finally broke the quiet.
"So," he asked, "what do you think? What are your thoughts on the field?"
Dayo exhaled slowly and glanced around again. There were countless swimmers—some calm, some jittery, some already dripping from warm-ups. He could see the tall Australians on one side, the Japanese sprinters on the other, athletes from China, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, South Africa… the world was here.
