The World's Potential- f1/Gymnastics

hurt.

K.J.H.

'yes!' cheers from behind fill the room followed by claps, as I stick my perfect landing off the bar. I turn to see Sammy, Marie and Ellie all stood applauding me on my routine. It'd been just over 3 days since I left Monaco, by body was still in the process of recovering from the confusing timezones it had been through. It felt like forever though, that Id been back here at home, however it felt even longer since I had seen my boyfriend: Charles Leclerc.

Unfortunately, being together only made it even more difficult for me to leave to come back home. More than ever, I've missed Pierre and Charles, Lando too. Seeing Pierre so much recently makes it almost impossible to not go by each day without thinking of my best friend, who now was at the other side of the world. I was always used to not seeing him for long periods of time, but gaining him back and then losing him this time makes it so much harder.

Thankfully, this time off and away from the gym has helped me to refocus and reset my mind on my goals and what I need to be working on. I came back better than ever, everything was perfect. I was nailing every single tumbling pass, sticking every landing and was more flexible than ever. Something inside of me has changed: my confidence. Lando, Daniel, Mick, Charles and Pierre have brought out a spark, a confidence that I didn't know I ever had, they made me feel so valued and appreciated. I never truly felt that here.

However, this was the last practice I would get in before nations, the event I'd been training for for years. Tomorrow meant everything for my career and for myself too, to finally prove that I could do this. Not only to the world, but to myself. As soon as I got home I began focusing on tomorrow, ensuring I was at my absolute peak. For the entire day I only have drank smoothies, blueberries, bananas and ice. I would not put anything into my body that could potentially ruin my chances of winning.

I took a long, relaxing bubble bath to clear away doubt and worry, drowning them away in the depths of the water. I got a very early night, sleeping for almost 14 hours in a very comfortable, deep state. I awoke numerous times within the night, the nerves and butterflies in my stomach fluttering around causing me to feel somewhat sick.

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When I awoke, my stomach had a pit forming, like a black hole sucking in all the confidence and excitement I felt; now the anxiety was setting in. I pace around my room, waisting 5 minutes of my precious morning until my eyes lay upon the most beautiful dress. The dress that he bought me. Suddenly, all the nerves leave me but the goosebumps and blushing return to me as I think of my boyfriend.

In only a few minutes, I could win the national championships in Australia. Every single nerve flooded through my body, pushing the adrenaline deeper and deeper into my bloodstream as I stopped walking and stood in my starting position. The crowd around me was a blur, the judges, however, were clear. I was focused. My goal was directly in front of me, I could almost reach it. The music played and I started my floor routine.

My leaps were perfect, my turns were elegant and my tumbling felt so effortless and easy that it possibly couldn't get any better. I was unbeatable, everything came so naturally and flowed through me and out of me without thinking. I could hear the cheers and screams of the audience and their gasps too. All my life I had been training for this.

The music stopped. I stopped. I had done it.

Every single move I had done to the best of my ability, for once in my life I felt proud and accomplished, almost as though the end result didn't matter. I'd never felt like this before, the endorphins in my body were fusing like nuclear bombs with the adrenaline causing me to have a weird energy boost, despite my body being beyond tired.