“The hammer throw must be last,” Sam said to Kyle. The officials had just brought a discus to the circle.
“Good luck,” Sam said. “I hope you beat Trevor.”
“Yeah, me too,” Kyle said.
But Kyle wasn’t sure anyone could beat Trevor. In every group practice, Trevor had thrown the hammer farther than anyone else.
Don’t worry about the hammer throw, Kyle told himself. Focus on the discus. You need to do well on all the events, especially now.
Sam threw first. Kyle was last. When it was his turn, he took his position in the circle and held the discus tightly under his arm. He took a deep breath as he wound up.
An official stood outside the circle. “Ready?” he asked.
Kyle nodded, and the whistle blew.
Kyle swung his arm back and forth twice to start his turn. On the third twist, he spun twice and launched the discus into the air. He hopped twice, coming dangerously close to stepping outside the circle.
The discus landed toward the middle of the pack.
“I think that’s four points,” Sam whispered to Kyle, clapping him on the shoulder. “You edged out Trevor in that one.”
With three events done, Kyle looked at the white board set up along the edge of the bleachers. With only five athletes competing in the track-and-field events, it was easy to see how he was doing.
“Wow,” Kyle said. “I’ve got nine points. That puts me in second place, even with my foul.”
“I’m tied for third,” Sam said. “I just have to get past the hammer throw.”
Kyle sighed. “Me too,” he said. If he threw the hammer like he usually did, Sam would get the silver medal. That would be okay. But Trevor would be guaranteed gold.
The athletes lined up for the final event. Kyle would throw second to last. Trevor, who was currently in first place, would throw the hammer last.
In no time, it was Kyle’s turn. He felt nervous as he headed toward the circle.
“Hey, Kyle,” Trevor called. “Don’t throw it into the stands. There are people sitting there this time.”
Kyle ignored him and grasped the hammer handle. He looked at the flags that marked the previous throws.
Last chance, Kyle thought. He hefted the hammer and nodded to the official.
The whistle blew, and Kyle began his swing.
Kyle spun the hammer twice around his head and turned perfectly within the circle.
Release earlier than where you’re aiming, Kyle thought. He saw the field at the edge of his line of sight and let go.
As the handle left his hands, he closed his eyes and kept his body inside the circle. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the hammer drop at the far end of the field, past the farthest marker.
The crowd cheered. Kyle could hardly believe it. He was in the lead.
He high-fived Sam as he came back to the group. As Trevor made his way to the circle, he slammed into Kyle’s shoulder.
“Too little, too late,” Trevor grumbled.
Kyle was too happy with his throw to let Trevor ruin it. He suddenly realized it didn’t matter if Trevor ended up with the gold. The silver medal was his, and he’d thrown the hammer like a pro.
The official blew the whistle to signal Trevor’s start.
Almost immediately, another whistle sounded, followed by the clank of the hammer hitting the ground.
Kyle turned. He turned and saw Trevor down on his knees outside the circle.
“That’s a foul,” the official called. “The contestant is disqualified for stepping outside the circle.”
“Dude,” Sam whispered. “I think you just won.”
Kyle turned to look at the scoreboard. With his new score of five points for the hammer throw, Kyle’s total was fourteen points. He’d beaten Trevor by two points.
Kyle knew what he had to do. He walked over to Trevor and held his hand out.
“What do you want?” Trevor asked. “Are you here to gloat?”
“No,” Kyle said. “I came over to help you up.”
Trevor took a deep breath. For a minute, Kyle thought the big guy would punch him in the stomach. Instead, Trevor took Kyle’s hand and let Kyle pull him to his feet.
“Nice throw,” Trevor said with a nod. “You deserved to win.”
“Thanks,” Kyle said. He shook Trevor’s hand. “Now let’s go get our medals.”