As I walked towards the track, I glanced around me at the sea of faces in the stands, but my mind was focused. After I finished the six events of the heptathlon (七项全能) , the Olympic gold medal was just minutes away.

My heart was beating loudly, my mouth was dry and the adrenaline (肾上腺素) was pumping. I was so close to the realization of my childhood dream and the feeling was fantastic; it was completely exciting, but also terrifying. I knew I would have to push myself beyond my known limits to ensure that my dream came true.

I tried to keep calm, telling myself not to panic, to stick to the plan and to run my own race .I knew the Russian girls would set off quickly — and I had to finish this race fewer than ten seconds behind the Russian athlete Yelena Prokhorova. If I could do that, the gold medal would be mine.

I looked at the track and caught my breath. The 800m race stood between me and the gold medal.

The supporters were cheering so loudly that it seemed as if they were the only fans there. I could hear my name being called. I could hear the shouts of encouragement and the cries of hope. Flags fluttered all around the vast, beautiful stadium. I felt unified with the crowd — we all had the same vision and the same dream.

My ankle (脚踝) was bandaged against an injury I had got in the long jump just a couple of hours earlier, but I shut out all thoughts of pain. I just tried to concentrate on the crowd. Their cheers uplifted my spirits and I felt calm.

I knew I would do my best and that I would run my heart out and finish the race. I had just two laps to run, that was all. Just two laps and only two minutes. I kept telling myself, anyone could run for two minutes.

The starting gun was fired, and the race began.

Prokhorova was running ahead of me.

In the town of Pinecrest, a young girl named Emily had a dream of becoming a professional dancer. She was attracted by the grace and beauty of ballet and contemporary dance, often practicing her moves while watching online performances. Emily’s family owned a small restaurant, where they hosted travelers from all around the world. Regrettably, her family could not afford to send her to an expensive dance academy, and the town did not have any professional dancers who could train her.

Despite the challenges, Emily stuck to her determination to succeed. She spent hours every day practicing in her poor studio at home, learning from online courses, dance videos, and attending occasional workshops in neighboring towns. She would try to perfect the dance moves she observed in the videos and developed her own unique dance style, drawing inspiration from the beautiful natural surroundings. Emily’s passion and dedication caught the attention of the local community, and she was invited to perform at various town events and celebrations.

One day, news spread that a well-known dance company would be visiting Pinecrest to hold a talent show. The show aimed to discover ambitious dancers from remote areas, providing them with an opportunity to learn from professionals and share their passion with others. Emily, filled with excitement, decided to participate in the show, viewing it as a chance to learn from the experts and gain recognition for her talent.

During the show, Emily performed a dance that fascinated the audience and the judges with her graceful movements and emotive expressions. The artistic director of the dance company, who was also one of the judges, was impressed by Emily’s natural talent and dedication to her craft. Recognizing her potential, the artistic director offered Emily a scholarship to train at their dance academy in the city.

Kenny Matthews was just three when the flat he lived in went up in smoke in 1991. The accident left him with burns to 70% of his body. Despite being very young when he suffered his burns, Kenny can still remember the day of the accident.

He was playing with his toys and watching TV on the floor in the living room while his grandfather was sleeping on the living room couch. All of a sudden, he heard a sudden noise from the window and that was when the window caught fire. He had no idea what caused the window to burst like that, but all he remembered was the apartment filling up with gas and smoke from the fire. He could do nothing but panic (恐慌).

His grandfather, who had been asleep, woke up because of the smoke. He tried to save Kenny’s life, but he couldn’t really do much because he was weak. Picking Kenny up under his arms, he carried him over the window — unfortunately, that’s how Kenny got burnt by the fire.

Kenny and his grandfather were rushed to the hospital. His grandfather, whose arms were badly burned, was hospitalized for a while and then discharged (出院). Kenny went through numerous surgeries over the next few decades, which he described as a very painful journey.

Now, after having been through so much over the years, Kenny’s treatment is finally done. The 36-year-old man has shared online how his burns and scars (伤疤) have affected his life as an adult. “People don’t really care about personality — they just want somebody to look good or attractive physically, and honestly, I don’t fit that description,” Kenny says.

There was a guy who once said to him. “It is hard to feel attracted to someone like you because of your scars and burns.” Kenny understands it’s not their fault. He’s smart enough to know not every person is the same, even though he’s not actively looking for a partner.