Dayo arrived at the aquatic center early in the morning, gym bag hanging from his shoulder, headphones around his neck. The place was already buzzing — athletes stretching, warming up, talking with coaches, and officials moving around with clipboards.
He wasn't nervous. Just focused.
Well… that was a lie.
He was a bit nervous. After all, this wasn't just any nationals — this was THE NATIONALS, held by the U.S itself. It was a huge deal. But he took a deep breath and muttered under his breath:
"Let's do this."
As he walked in, a few swimmers turned and smiled.
"Yo, Dayo!"
"You made it!"
"Man, it's been a minute!"
He recognized most of them — people he had met during the California competition. They shook hands, hugged lightly, laughed a bit. It felt good seeing familiar faces, but there were also a lot of new ones. Older guys who had competed in the previous Olympics. Experienced swimmers who carried themselves with the ease of people who had been here for years.
