The real challenge
The time had come. Finally.
Finally. Newspapers had been inflating the tension for several days, inviting fans to choose which side they were on. In fact, you could not be neutral in such a challenge. Some cheered for the one that came from a distant island -damn difficult to pronounce her name- some others for the one from the frozen slopes of the North. They had been pinching each other through the media for a whole year, selectively choosing the events to join just to keep the distance. Now the game was over. The two best jumpers in the world -and of all times- were now facing each other in an epic clash.
Newspapers went crazy in formulating theories on the end result. For those who were betting there were no doubts: the Nordic was the favorite, more accustomed to the pressure of the challenge. Now here they were, the time for the verdict had come.
They did not even look at each other while waiting for their turn on the track. The athlete from island jumped first. She made it! The bar was left untouched.
The Nordic smiled. She made it too… a simple formality. They went on like this -action and reaction- until they reached the height beyond which one of the two would make history. The Islander made a mistake. The Nordic, strangely, frowned. She passed the bar successfully though, shortly afterwards, almost effortlessly.
Second attempt for the girl with the exotic name: second failure. The Nordic shook his head. The commentators were surprised: she was about to win! What was that veil of sadness under her blond hair? At the third and final jump, cheered but the whole stadium, the girl from the island passed the bar.
That was when the inexplicable happened.
The Nordic suddenly stood up, shouted something, and -fast as a lightning- went to embrace her rival, in a boost of bliss.
The stadium, incredulous, fell silent for a moment and then exploded in a loud applause.
When the athlete from the North was finally interviewed, she could only say few words:
“I did not care to win. I wanted her to go higher and higher to be able to challenge myself with something bigger than me. After she had failed twice, I thought I had lost my opportunity. As I saw her successfully raising the bar, she began to test my resilience - and that’s why I hugged her. She helped me raise my bar, too.
Who knows, maybe it was the heat of the embrace that produced the miracle.
So, I hope you will forgive me if I say that I feel this victory is -in a way- my victory too.”
Gianni
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