Okay, so, today was the day for the 200-meter semi-finals. I’ve been training for this for what feels like forever, and let me tell you, the nerves were real.

I woke up early, tried to get a good breakfast in me – you know, fuel for the race and all that. I go through my usual pre-race routine. Not gonna lie, I was replaying all those training sessions in my head, all those sprints, all those starts, hoping muscle memory would just kick in when I needed it most.
Got to the track, and the atmosphere was intense. You could feel the tension in the air, everyone’s focused, everyone’s got that game face on. Saw some familiar faces, other runners I’ve competed against before. We all knew what was at stake – a spot in the finals.
- Warm-up was crucial. Did my usual drills, stretched everything out.
- Felt my heart pounding in my chest, but tried to keep my breathing steady, you know?
Then came the wait. It felt like an eternity. Just standing there, waiting for our heat to be called. I tried to stay loose, shake out my legs, keep the energy flowing.
Finally, it was our turn. We lined up, got into the blocks. The anticipation was killing me. Then, the sound of the starting pistol – and we were off!
I pushed off those blocks as hard as I could. Felt the burn in my legs immediately. The first 100 meters, it’s all about acceleration, building up that speed. Tried to maintain my form, stay relaxed, but it’s tough when you’re going all out like that.

Coming off the curve, that’s where it really starts to hurt. Your legs are screaming, your lungs are on fire. But you gotta keep pushing, gotta maintain that speed. Saw a couple of guys ahead of me, that only made me dig deeper.
The last 50 meters, it’s a blur. Just a tunnel vision, focused on that finish line. I could hear the crowd, but it was all muffled, like I was underwater.
Crossed the line, not sure where I placed. Looked up at the board, and there it was – 20.08 seconds. Second place in my heat, but guess what? That was enough! It was good enough to get me into the final. An automatic qualification, can you believe it?
Results
Man, the relief, the excitement – it was a rush! All that hard work, all those sacrifices, it all paid off. Still got one more race to go, the big one, but for now, I’m gonna savor this moment. Time to recover, refocus, and get ready to give it my all in the final!