Driven by an inexplicable compulsion, every morning I rise at dawn and make my way to the swimming pool. Even as the whole city sleeps in complete isolation, I along with my batch mates plunge into the chill waters. A few deft strokes of warm up is followed by an arduous workout under the expert guidance of my coach. That’s not all. After a quick shower, I rush to school and return to the pool in the afternoon for another grueling session. This has been my routine for the past few years. The objective is to cut our time by one-tenth of a second every time we race and there are all possibilities, that I may miss a medal by one-hundredth of a second. Yet, optimism has been my driving force, else I would in deep slumber on my mattress wra