Citius, Altius, Fortius

August 9, 2012
London, England

I take a deep breath as I pause by the stairs towards the platform. China’s Chen Roulin has been less than two points ahead of me throughout the entire competition. Both of us are well ahead of Australia’s Brittany Broben, who has already secured the bronze medal. It’s only down to the two of us for the gold. It’s down to this one final dive.

I’m trying my hardest not to let the thought of finally becoming an Olympic gold medalist get into my head. But.... well, Olympic gold has been the only thing on my mind for over a decade.

My name is Victoria McKinley. I’m twenty years old. And I’m competing for the greatest country in the world at the London summer Olympics. Ten days ago, my cousin and I became the first American female divers to ever win a medal in the 10 meter synchro competition. We surprised everyone, coming from no where to capture the bronze. Afterwards we saw celebrations from all throughout the country, which made us realize just how closely the American people were watching us.

Diving... it’s not exactly the most popular sport. It’s not flashy like gymnastics. It’s not tradition like track and field. But it means the world to me. And if the American people need someone to step up and show them why it’s great? Well, I’m willing to give it my all.

Aubrey’s hand on my arm brings me back to the present.

“Wszystko w porządku?” She asks in Polish, our grandparents’ native language. (Are you okay?)
“Tak.” I respond, swallowing. “Yeah.”
“China hasn’t lost a women’s 10 meter gold medal since Athens.”
“That makes me feel confident.” I reply dryly.
“I think it’s time for that to change. Don’t you?”

Aubrey’s shot at winning an individual medal has already been cut off. As it stands, she’s slotted to finish in fifth place behind Brittany and Yulia Koltunova, of Russia. It’s the same place I finished in the Bejing Olympics just four years ago.

With that statement, she knocks her elbow against mine- our sign that we’ve got each other’s backs- and walks off. Aubrey is right. It is time that China’s reign ends.

I feel the familiar burn in my legs as I climb the stairs up to the highest platform in the Aquatics Center. I run my towel over my arms and drop it off the side towards the pool deck. My mind instantly focuses on the backwards two and a half pike with one and a half twists that I’m about to perform. Chen Roulin will be performing the exact same dive when I’m done. And she’s damn good at it. But I can be better. I have to be better.

As soon as my head surfaces from the pool, I spot my cousin grinning like a fool and jumping up and down.

“That was the best I’ve ever seen you do that!” She says, hugging me as soon as I’m out. “She’s going to have to be almost perfect to beat you now.”

I look up at the score board as I lean back into the warm shower. Aubrey is right. My final dive scored a personal best 86.4 points, putting me in the lead for the moment. Chen Roulin will have to dive an 86.1 in order to beat me. It’s not impossible for her. But it’s going to be tough.

I close my eyes. I can’t watch her dive.

The cheer of the crowd forces me to open my eyes and focus on the Chinese woman pulling herself out of the water. My vision darts to the board, but nothing changes. I feel her step under the shower next to me, but I can’t tear my eyes away from the board to look. It feels like it’s taking forever for them to post her score.

Finally, the board flashes.

86.3. She beat me.

I can’t move. I can’t breathe. I just stand there, staring at the final scoreboard showing the final five.

Chen Roulin, CHN - 422.30 points
Victoria McKinley, USA - 422.10 points
Brittany Broben, AUS - 406.50 points
Yulia Koltunova, RUS - 405.60 points
Aubrey Wright, USA - 405.05 points

“Motylku...” Aubrey’s voice is soft. “You did an amazing job. You’re an Olympic silver medalist.” (Butterfly)

I shake my head, wanting her to just give me a minute. I step out of the shower and walk over to the gathering of the Chinese team and rest my hand on Chen Roulin’s arm.

“Congratulations.” I say, my voice cracking.
“Thank you. You too.” She responds, giving me a hug.

I walk over to the Australian team, repeating the process with Brittany. It’s a little easier to swallow, since she’s been a good friend of mine for years. Her coach kisses my forehead and whispers in my ear. “That’s the closest anyone has gotten to that team in a long time. You should be so proud of yourself.”

I nod, still in a daze, and make my way towards the locker room. I hear my family cheering for me as I pass their section and do my best to look up at them with a smile on my face. I catch my grandfather’s eye and he gives me a soft smile and a head nod.

When I finally reach the locker room, I pull off my suit and wash the chlorine out of my hair, holding back tears. I can’t receive my medal looking like I’ve obviously been crying. I pull on my Team USA medal ceremony outfit for the second time of these Olympic games and quickly braid my wet hair.

“Ms. McKinley, we’re ready for you.” Someone says just as I’m tying the end of my braid off with a hair tie.

I get in line in front of Chen Roulin and give Brittany a soft smile. She’s beaming, and I don’t blame her. She’s got so much to be proud of.

I follow the line out to the medal ceremony podium, clapping when Brittany’s name is announced. It’s my turn to accept my medal and the roar of the crowd surprises me. A small “USA” chant catches on, and I can’t help but truly smile. I know it’s my family and fellow American teammates’ way of showing me that they still love me.

The medal is heavy around my neck, but feels somewhat comforting. At least I’m going home with something, right? I shake hands with the line of presenters and take my flowers. I clap when the gold is presented and watch as the American flag is raised, to the right of the Chinese flag. The three of us pose for about a million pictures until our cheeks are sore from smiling so much.

Finally, they give us the clearance to head back to the locker room. I throw my wet suit into my bag along with the rest of my stuff and tuck my medal into my pocket before heading out the back door and towards the Olympic village.

I need to cry. And then I need to start focusing on Rio. I’ve only got four years to make myself the best.