"GO!"

The buzzer echoed through the whole arena.

Dayo launched forward the same second, his body cutting through the water cleanly. The moment he entered the water, his mind went blank — blank, but full.

It felt like everything inside him was switched off except one thing:

Move.

He didn't look left.

He didn't look right.

He didn't check who was beside him.

Every muscle in his body pushed with everything he had.

His strokes were sharp, heavy, and fast.

His legs kicked like he was trying to break the pool itself.

The water rushed around him, but he barely felt it.

His mind was fixed on one thing — the wall ahead.

Just get there.

Push.

Push.

Push.

Push.

His chest burned, his arms screamed to take a break or pause, but he didn't slow down.

He kept going until his fingers finally slammed into the finish pad.

Beep.

Dayo's head came out of the water, gasping, his breath harsh and loud.

For a moment, he didn't even know what had happened.

Then he turned — and saw Alex touching the wall too, only a fraction of a second behind him.

Alex's eyes were wide open, staring at Dayo like he had seen a ghost.

They didn't speak.

They just stared at each other, both breathing heavily.

Then they slowly turned their eyes to the electronic scoreboard.

Lane 4 – DAYO – 21.40

Lane 6 – ALEX HALL – 22.03

The arena froze for one full second.

Then—

The crowd exploded.

Screams.

Cheers.

Whistles.

People are shouting his name.

"JD"

"JD"

"JD"

"JD"

Dayo blinked, shocked for a moment.

He had just broken the Olympic qualifying mark by more than a tenth of a second.

He had actually done it.

Richard rushed to him, grabbing him into a tight hug.

"Yes! Yes! That's what I'm talking about!" the coach shouted, his voice cracking.

"You did it, Dayo! You really did it!"

Dayo laughed breathlessly, still shaking from the effort. "Coach… I can't feel my arms."

"Good," Richard smacked his back. "Haha, that means you earned it."

They separated, and Dayo immediately looked around the stands.

His family was there — all of them on their feet, screaming at the top of their lungs.

His little sister was waving a banner.

His brother was shouting like he had lost his mind.

His parents looked emotional, clapping with so much pride on their faces.

Dayo couldn't help smiling.

He raised both hands and waved at them.

His mother was wiping her eyes, while his father gave him a solid thumbs-up.

That alone made his chest tighten.

After a few minutes, everything calmed down, and the award ceremony began.

The announcer stepped forward with a microphone.

"In third place… we have—"

The crowd clapped politely as the third swimmer received his medal.

"In second place… Alex Hall!"

A louder cheer followed. Alex stepped forward, but his jaw was tight, and he didn't look happy.

He nodded stiffly, accepting his medal.

"And in first place—"

A small pause.

"Jason Dayo!"

The arena erupted again.

Dayo walked forward calmly, smiling, waving lightly at the audience.

The gold medal was placed around his neck, and he bowed slightly.

He took the mic for a short speech.

"This is my first competition," Dayo began, breathing in. "And I'm really grateful to even stand here today. I want to thank my fans for showing up even after a long while. I love you all … I want to thank my coach, Richard, for believing in me…"

He glanced at his family. "And I want to thank my family for supporting me always."

Then he turned slightly to Alex.

"And most importantly, I want to thank my opponents. Without you guys pushing me, I wouldn't have made it this far."

He gave Alex a small, teasing smirk.

Alex's face tightened, his teeth clenched, but he forced a smile.

In his head, he was swallowing the biggest bitterness of his career.

"Motherfucker," was all Alex could think.

Dayo turned back to the crowd and lifted the medal slightly.

"Thank you, everyone."

The cheers rose again.

***

Dayo left the podium with his medal still hanging on his chest.

Sharon rushed to his side, almost vibrating with excitement.

"Boss…" she whispered, eyes shining. "It's time."

Dayo looked at her, then at Richard, then back at her again.

He exhaled slowly.

"Operation Comeback can begin."

Sharon grinned. "Finally."

Richard raised a brow. "Operation what?"

Dayo laughed lightly. "Long story. But let's just say… four years is enough."

Sharon added, "We originally planned to launch this at the end of the year. Or even next year. But since swimming happened… we need to push everything forward."

Dayo nodded. "Yeah. The timing is perfect. No need to wait anymore."

They all walked out through the back exit of the venue as security helped control the crowd. The noise outside was loud, filled with fans shouting his name over and over.

Dayo didn't say it out loud, but the truth was simple:

He missed this.

He missed seeing people excited because of him.

He missed knowing the world still remembered his name.

---

The internet was already on fire before Dayo even got back to the hotel.

On Twitter, TikTok, Instagram — everywhere — his name was climbing the charts.

People were reposting Alex's earlier picture.

People were sharing clips of Dayo diving, swimming, and celebrating.

Everything had gone wild.

Comments everywhere:

"WAIT, HOLD ON—JD? JD?? As in THE JD?!"

"Am I the only one who thinks this swimmer looks exactly like Dayo??"

"Bro, that's not 'looks like', that IS him!"

"Nah, this has to be edited. JD can't swim at that level."

"Edited how? It's a national competition, not a TikTok filter."

"FOUR YEARS of silence and he comes back as an athlete???"

"Is this PR???"

"How will this be PR? It's literally a national sports event 😂"

"Nah, I'm convinced this guy is on something. His improvement is TOO sharp, feels like he is using a drug."

"Shut up. Not everything is drugs. Some people are actually gifted."

Different fanbases were arguing back and forth.

Some of JD's old fans were screaming in excitement.

Some new people didn't believe it was him.

Then someone posted a clip of his qualifying time.

21.74 seconds.

Comments exploded instantly.

"WHAT?? 21.7?? That's Olympic level!!"

"Nah, this is wild. How did nobody know he could swim?"

"This guy left music and became a monster athlete???"

"I thought he disappeared. Now he is breaking records???"

The news didn't seem to be going down anytime soon.

Back in the Hotel

Dayo sat on his bed, scrolling through reactions.

He didn't talk.

He just watched.

Sharon smiled at him.

"It has started, boss."

Dayo nodded slowly.

"Yeah… after four years."

He looked out the window at the bright city.

"Operation Comeback…"

He exhaled deeply.

"…is officially live."

Thank you for reading. Gifts and GT votes are highly appreciated

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.