Sweef | Altyd vierde – Fanie Viljoen | English Summary

Sweef en ander Verhale

Altyd vierde – Fanie Viljoen

Alvin is the star athlete of his school struggling to get a better time in the 800m. He’s lost all his steel because he comes 4th at the Western Cape Championships every year, falling just behind Simphiwe Mbeki of Oscar Mpetha High, and the Fransman twins who alternate between second and third. Tired of always coming 4th despite his efforts, Alvin loses the motivation to train despite his coach, Mr Hendricks trying hard to egg him on. However, Hendricks tells him that contrary to what Alvin believes, it isn’t so much a battle of physicality as it is a mental one. Hendricks has been his coach since grade 8, and it is a little frustrating to see the star athlete of the school in such a rut, but he is willing to keep trying and encourage Alvin to do better. Alvin stands up and decides to get his mind right. “It isn’t about how fast your legs can get you past the finish line; it’s about how fast your mind can get you there.” Alvin imagines himself standing on the podium at third place. It is better than nothing.

Later that night, Alvin’s mother can see that something is bothering him because he has next to no appetite. He tells her he doesn’t think he’s good enough to continue with athletics and he can imagine the hellish reaction he’ll get from her – she’ll definitely tell him that he’s gotten lazy and that other children would push way harder if they had just a spoonful of the talent he had; however, his mother stands up without a word, washes her plate and puts a hand on his shoulder. She doesn’t need to say anything; he already knows what it means – “You know what is best for yourself, whatever you choose, I support you”. Alvin decides that he’ll continue training.

Alvin is at the track at 2 pm every single day. They start with warmups that leave Alvin already feeling the pressure before they start on the actual speed training. Doing speed training at distances of 100m, 200m and 400m, they build his power and speed. 800m is a battle of power, speed and tactics. Being at the front of the group means facing greater wind resistance; however, being towards the back allows one to slipstream and get ahead if they time it right. Hendricks also cuts Alvin’s diet – only fruit, oats and no soft drinks or fast food. Alvin pushes himself to train even without Hendricks’s help and knows that he needs to train his mind more than he does his body. At night, he dreams of seeing Simphiwe and the Fransman twins at the starting blocks. They tease him for still being there, saying that they thought he would’ve given up by now. He wakes up in a sweat but is still determined to get his mind right.

On the day of the race, Alvin keeps telling himself that it is his day. He feels positive and full of energy, but an hour before the race, he opens his bag to get changed only to realise he left his running shoes on the kitchen window sill after cleaning them. He panics and tries to call his mother, but she doesn’t answer. He decides to run barefoot. At the starting blocks, the other runners look at his bare feet rather amused, and Hendricks asks Alvin where his running shoes are. Alvin tells him not to worry and remains focused on the task at hand. However, just before the race begins, Alvin hears a voice calling him, and he sees his mother out of breath, holding two pairs of running shoes. Now with the attention off his bare feet, Alvin can fully focus.

The first lap is without incident – Simphiwe is third from the front, Alvin behind him with the twins hot on his heels. Alvin is biding his time, waiting for the right time to unleash the full extent of his training. Towards the end of the first 400m, Simphiwe zips ahead of everyone else, steadily maintaining a 10m lead, which is very surprising. Soon the twins attempt to follow suit and Alvin realises it is time for him to bump it up a notch. Now the standing is like always – Simphiwe first, the twins second and third and Alvin at fourth. With one more lap to go, Alvin feels great, and the twins don’t seem as good as they used to be. However, there is soon trouble as Simphiwe pulls his hamstring and the twins zip past him – Alvin too. Now with 100m to go, it’s just the twins and Alvin. Alvin now sees the fatigue set into both of them, and he uses it as motivation for the final spurt. He passes one of them and soon hears the crowd chanting his name. He passes the finish line — first place.

SummariesKeroshan PillayComment