PSLE: Determination

Ali was a plump boy. Due to his round figure, he was often teased by his peers for having a belly which resembled a ball.

“You fatso! Don’t think about winning the competition! I can’t imagine your belly shaking about while you are running! ” Rex burst into laughter. Ali, set aback by Rex’s harsh words, regretted signing up for the competition. However, he remembered his mother’s words, “Darling, don’t be too depressed, I have faith in you.”

Then, he told himself,“ Ali! You can do it! You can beat him! It’s now or never!” With determination, he decided that he would use his free time to go to the nearby sports school and run on the tracks to train for the competition.

After a few weeks of vigorous training, it was finally the day of the competition. Classes had sent their cheerleading team and students to cheer for the competitors. The stadium was bursting at its seams. Everybody was in a euphoric mood. For Ali, elation was rushing through him as he made his way towards his mother who was all smiles. His brown tanned skin shimmered in the sweat under the hot sun and his sparkling white teeth glittered.

“Darling, good luck! Do not be afraid of losing!” Mom told Ali. Immediately after that, the mcee for today announced loudly and clearly, “Attention please! Pupils taking part in the individual 400m please gather at the starting line now. Thank you.” Mom kissed Ali on the forehead and wished him good luck before he went to the starting line. He could hardly contain his excitement but at the same time, there were also butterflies in his stomach.

All the runners including Rex took their positions. Rex looked at Ali and sniggered. “Be prepared to be thrashed so badly, you fatso!” Rex said without even looking at Ali in the eye. However, Ali did not care about his nasty remarks at all. He believed that his weeks of vigorous training would pay off as, “No pain, no gain,” his mother used to tell him.

“On your mark, get set…bang!” The starter gun fired and resounded through the air. Everybody hurtled forward like cannons and Ali took huge leaps forward. Due to the loud sound produced by the starter gun, Ali’s ears ached and rang uncontrollably but he would definitely not let that divert his attention and slow him down. His hard work did pay off! Halfway through the race, he was already far ahead off the other contestants including Rex of course! However, he did not know that an ominous moment was going to hit him.

“Ouch!” Ali shouted as he fell onto the ground with a loud thud.

His shoelaces had loosened and he had accidentally stepped on it and tripped. The crowd fixated their eyes on him, wondering if he was alright.

Just then, Ali’s mother stood up and shouted, “Son, don’t be afraid of falling! Mom has got your back!”

Heeding his mother’s advice, he tried to stand up and continue the race but it was with great difficulty. Each time he tried to stand up and continue, his right ankle would hurt so badly. He knew that he had sprained his ankle! He tried to stand up again but to no avail---he fell to the ground again. After countless of useless attempts, the crowd could also sense something was wrong. Luckily, the organiser of this competition was well-prepared. Paramedics immediately carried their stretcher and rendered help to Ali. Not wanting to let his mother down, he declined their help and insisted on finishing the race. Looking at the other contestants zooming past him, anxiety coursed through his veins and he stifled his sobs of pain as he tried to stand up again.

Finally, he managed to stand up successfully. At first, he was feeling a little rickety as he could not balance properly due to his sprained ankle. Perspiration trickled down his brows as he carried on with the race. Although the other contestants were already far ahead of him, Ali still did not lose hope and was determined to complete the race so as to not let his mother down. Suddenly, one man from the crowd stood up and cheered, “Go boy! Go!” This spread like a wildfire and more and more people stood to cheer for him. The more the crowd cheered, the more Ali thought he needed to complete the race as they all believed in him.

As Ali was nearing the finishing line, the crowd cheered even more loudly for him. When Ali finally reached the finishing line, satisfaction gushed like a perfect surfer’s wave through the crowd and there were so much of cheering and clapping. Ali’s mother ran down to the finishing line in tears and they buckled into a tight hug. Paramedics also rushed over and rendered first-aid before sending him to the hospital for a thorough check-up. Although Ali was the last, he was determined to finish the race. He did.



Aris Lim P6 2015