A PSLE continuous writing practice

Theme: A Precious Item

Prompt Pictures: A teddy bear/a diary/a trophy (Use at least one of the three pictures)

"Huff, huff." Panting noises followed as my feet thudded on the red rubber running track. Trails of sweat ran down my forehead, while tip of my nose glistened with perspiration. My sides were aching but I refused to stop until I crossed the finish line marking on the ground. Then I collapsed onto the track, totally exhausted.

I was training for my last National Primary School Games as I would be graduating from primary school this year. I aimed for a gold medal but that would mean defeating Jessie, my greatest rival. She used to be my classmate for lower primary school where the two of us dominated the 100-metre dash. The gold medal always seesawed between her and me. But once we reached Primary 4, Jessie made tremendous progress, even breaking the school record. Since then, I had been unable to defeat her even once in formal competitions. I attempted a comeback last year but unfortunately, I sprained my ankle just before the competition. So this year was my last chance.

However, it was not an easy job because I found myself stuck in a bottleneck--no matter how hard I trained, I could not break my previous record and make any new breakthrough. Desperate, I turned to my coach for advice. She suggested that I change my starting position to get better results. But the problem was that I would have to relearn everything including the basics and there was only one month left. "Yes, I'll do that!" I made up my mind and thus began my hard change. During the first few days, I almost stumbled and tripped at every start. But after a few weeks, I finally saw improvement in a few training sessions. I managed to shorten my best timing by 0.2 seconds which was enough to make a difference in the competition. Before I had time to celebrate, the competition day arrived.

That day, the atmosphere among the audience was upbeat with cheering and shouting, which was supposed to energise the runners, but otherwise could be said about myself. I was a bundle of nerves. My throat felt dry as I was still not sure whether my new technique would work. I peeked at Jessie on the next lane. She was looking confident as usual. I turned back, deciding to ignore the boisterous crowd, narrowing my tunnel vision to focus only on the finish line. The gun went "boom" and I bolted off along with the others. In a matter of seconds, I passed the finish line and came to a halt. Hands on my knees, I peered at scoreboard, panting. Usually it took a couple of minutes for the referees to verify the results and release them. The waiting time felt like an eternity. Then the board finally flickered. My name was at the top. I had come in first! I pinched myself and rubbed my eyes to make sure I was not dreaming. When I was convinced that it was true, I punched the air and hugged my coach, tears welling up. I won!

The champion trophy now sits proudly in a prominent place on my bookshelf. Every time I see it, memories flood back and my heart throbs. This trophy is considered one of my most prized possessions. Indeed, it signifies much more than just a victory; it's a representation of my perseverance, resilience, and daring spirit for adventure.