5 years ago a fateful summer transpired that brought both women glory while also inspiring enormous envy. Both young professionals convened at the same university in Eugene for the Trials though prior to the stadium renovation. Each were favored to make the team, but being top three wasn’t all they desired. Their rivalry had only grown since their college days. Brianna had captured a world championship but Kendra was tearing up the track that summer. Kenni was running world leading times and it was she, not the reigning world champion Brianna favored to take the gold at the Olympic trials.
Both athletes were in peek condition and primed to run extremely fast, 12.5 seconds or lower. At the starting line the two women paced like caged tigresses eyeing a meal. Brianna of course had already made a national team and claimed international glory. This was her first chance at an Olympic team but she had confidence in her ability and a steady hand. She eyed Kendra intently, seemingly burning a hole in her chief competitor’s head with her lazer focus. Her goal was to win obviously, but also to crush Kenni and assert dominance over her in a way that would make up for the missed opportunity to physically crush her at practice in their Clemson days.
Kendra by contrast was attempting to make her first national team. She had tremendous success at the collegiate level and in professional meets leading to the trials. She didn’t, however, possess the same professional experience that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she belonged in this field with so many elite hurdlers. Adding to her apprehension was the showdown with her arch rival. The added tension of attempting to beat Brianna while she was performing so well left her tight and pensive. She wanted nothing more than to knock Brianna off of her pedestal as the best in the world, but she also remembers their dust up in college and desired to achieve alpha status over her.
They climbed into their starting blocks without a sound, the gun signifying the start of the race was sounded, Kendra accelerated in a familiar fashion and was first over the initial hurdle. By the 5th hurdle Brianna had pulled even and moved ahead on 6. Kenni was losing confidence and fading, so much so that two other women pulled even by the 7th hurdle. The two more competitors touched down off of ten before Kenni, and leaned her out at the finish line. Kenni had not only relinquished her place as the premiere hurdler to her arch rival; a more embarrassing and unfathomable outcome became an unfortunate, excruciating reality. She didn’t make the Olympic team.
Brianna exploded with elation after reclaiming the title of America’s best hurdler. She sported a gleam in her eyes that communicated a supreme confidence and sauntered with a specific body language indicating to Kenni that she was an after thought, not even worth her time. Bri walked right past Kenni without an acknowledgment of her presence and hugged her new teammates heading to Rio with her. This incensed Kendra, the indignity of unexpected defeat was one thing but the insult of dismissal by her former friend turned rival was despicable.
Brianna was definitely riding high after the trials. Her training began to focus on adding Olympic Champion to her previous world title. She and her handlers felt it wise to stay sharp in the interim with international athletics meetings. Rio de Janeiro was a months and a half away, and London offered a key Diamond League event that promised to host a lineup comparable to the upcoming Olympic final. Looking at the start list she noticed that Kenni would be there, probably to collect a payday because Bri had previously dashed her championship aspirations. Brianna figured that she had asserted herself over Kenni and beating her one more time in London leading up to Rio would be a cakewalk. What she neglected to factor into her calculus was that the pressure to qualify had been lifted from Kenni’s shoulders. A rematch with Bri in this world class field would have to be her own personal Olympic final. Kenni was motivated yet unburdened, a dangerous combination, that resulted in a new world record with Brianna following a body length behind. Kenni’s victory and accomplishment as the fastest to ever run helped restore her confidence while serving as a thorn in Brianna’s side. It partially softened the blow that came with watching Bri win gold in Rio when she knew it should’ve been hers, but not really.
5 years of training, competing, postering, glaring, seething and waiting didn’t bring the pair closer together. In fact it engraved their enmity into their DNA. They trained longer and harder knowing that their counterpart was doing the same. Each obsessed with the knowledge that another Olympic Games was eminent and that their rival would be present and in incredible condition. Kendra gained experience and built a résumé of national teams and international medals but still felt incomplete without an Olympic gold to match Brianna’s. Bri performed well internationally as well but found herself enmeshed in controversy. She had missed several spontaneous drug testing dates due to miscommunication and failure to alert the testing agency to updates in her schedule resulting in suspensions. Suspensions that raised a question as to weather she used performance enhancements. Did she truly avert the random tests because she was dirty? Her reputation which meant a ton to her was unfortunately sullied and the temporary banishment caused her to miss a world championship meet and a chance to defend her rightful title. Coincidentally or not, Kenni finally made an international medal stand. Though her reward was still only silver, failing to best another one of their country women who was slightly less talented but infinitely more consistent. A frustrated and bitter Brianna consoled herself by musing, “Typical fumble by Kenni.”
Subliminal messages were occasionally pointed at each other in social media posts and interviews. Kendra was diplomatically accused of being a “choke artist” while Brianna unflatteringly was addressed as a “cheater”.
“Kendra is a spirited competitor who I know will get her chance down the line, assuming the spotlight doesn’t get too bright for her.”
“I’m working everyday to be my best, I know that ladies like Brianna are doing everything imaginable to gain an edge.”
These types of backhanded complements and catty snipes did not go unnoticed by their targets and fueled the flames of enmity. Training sessions were intense with the sustaining visualization being that of beating their nemesis. On the toughest most grueling days, their only solace came in the delightfully perverse mental imaging of actually beating up each other.
They arrived back at the University of Oregon and the new and improved Hayward Field for the showdown that had been long anticipated. In the moments preceding the penultimate show down to hurdling supremacy, the two favorites again wordlessly marched from the staging area to the starting line.
Kendra’s silky straightened long black hair was pulled back into a lose fitting, modified bun with a white dry-fit headband covering her “edges” or hairline. She was outfitted by her sponsor with a diminutive white two piece uniform barely covering her pert breasts and bikini area in navy and grey camouflage print. The singlet was pinned with a paper identifying her by her adopted last name, covering the war like design. The top contoured her feminine shoulders and sinewy arms while laying bare a rippled milk chocolate midriff. The matching briefs exposed powerful tree trunk like legs that were well lotioned, leading to thin ankles and a pair of white track spikes on her feet. Kendra knew the cameras would be on her so of course she’d made previous reservations at the salon for a full body waxing and shaping of eyebrows and the like. She wore multiple earrings in each lobe, bracelets, a single nose piercing, and a gold chain around her elegant neck echoing her wishes for the outcome of this final. If things go her way she will have more gold adorning her neck at the conclusion of the race.
Similar to Bri’s rival, the defending Olympic champ was also in a tight fitting aerodynamic two piece uniform that revealed beautiful brown glowing skin approximately two shades lighter that of the Kentucky grad. Sporting the gear of a shoe company indirect competition with Kenni’s, the singlet she wore was navy blue with swatches of sea-foam green and sky blue meandering through the print like fault lines. Washboard abs were on display as were thunderous thighs, impressive trapezoids, and bare sparsely tattooed arms. Neither athlete wore socks with their white spikes, but Bri’s outfit was accentuated by matching navy compression sleeves caressing her calves, drawing additional attention to her well shaped limbs. She was captivating and her accessories brought awareness of her supple wrists and elegant nape. A gold chain worn for the same reason as her competitor, clung to her bosom. A bib displaying her married name and hip stickers with the number 2 were essential additions that allowed the finish line camera to identify her in a photo finish.
Explosive leaps and powerful accelerations served as final priming for their muscular and nervous systems, while also doubling as territorial rituals to assert dominance as would the beasts of the wild. Kendra, now 28, with the fastest semifinal time was in lane four. The 29 year old arrived in the final via a separate semifinal and was only two lanes away. They could faintly make out the rhythm of each others breath as they stood staring down the 100m corridor. They could detect the vibrations rippling in the track from forceful steps exerted in warmup runs. The time had come and both women, now veterans, were resolute that they had what it took. The summons was made for each competitor to “take your mark”, the women methodically climbed into the starting blocks once more. Once everyone was still as the grave, the call of “set” set forth the lifting of shapely hips and scantily clad round asses in assorted shades. The gun released them from their captive position and sent the field bounding down the track in violence and precision. Bri traversing the obstacle course with her right leg leading, Kenni with her left. Kendra touched down off of the last hurdle and crossed the finish line hundredths of a second prior to Brianna.
A great weight was lifted from her shoulders, she would no longer have to answer the questions about why she hadn’t been an Olympian before. Kenni smiled brightly and gave praise before spotting Brianna in a similar stance. Having made the unavoidable eye contact, the two walked to each other in what appear to be a compassionate moment between two fierce competitors. As savvy as they’ve become through several years of professional experience, they both immediately realized that the social expectation was for them to embrace as new teammates. The cameras were of course on them so outwardly they happily approached with outstretched arms for a hug, though inwardly their reluctance caused them to quake. They came together immersed in each others scent. A blending of fragrant cocoa oils, sweet moisturizing creams, and pheromonal discharges. Their perky breasts slid together with very little friction due to designer nylon tops, but the brown skin of their exposed midriffs meshed. Their toned arms wrapped each other’s rib cage and squeezed intently, restricting expansion, and announcing their presence in the moment in case the other woman forgot who they were engaged with. Each woman’s face was buried in the others well manicured hair with their temples making contact. More than contact, they were straining against each other imperceptibly. Only the veins straining in their necks would betray this fact, but Kendras long straightened black ponytail and Brianna’s shoulder length crimson tipped locks masked the exertion. The crowd could see them whispering what most assumed were congratulations, which were in actually veiled epithets and challenges. The mask of civility was wearing thin for both women. Thoughts of settling the long standing question about who was the better woman, fuck the track, were quickly creeping into their mind. Their consciousness of the crown and camera was eroding rapidly as “bitch”, “choker”, “thot” and “cheater” were uttered with increased frequency and veracity. This long awaited fight was going down on the track! Right here! Right now! In front of the entire stadium and a global audience online!
That was until a third team member, the enthusiastic young collegiate national champion from USC who was wedged between the women in lane 3 came to join the hug. She was so excited to have narrowly finished third to her two idols and role models. Her elation was bubbling over. Kendra and Brianna regained their sense of the moment and returned the embrace before retreating to neutral spaces. They both gave brief socially distanced affirmations to the media of their excitement for making the team and solemnity with with they will continue their training for the ultimate goal. But internally they’re emotions were churning, they realized how close they both are to the pinnacle of their careers but also how much they yearned to inflict deep physical pain on their chief competition.
The unceremoniously accepted their respective medals and returned to the staging area. Both athletes quickly stuffed their gear in duffle bags, pausing only to shed their competition spikes from their feet in exchange for training flats. Each fled remote parts of the stadium to regain composure, but what if this wasn’t the moment for composure? What if this was the time to finally mentally break her?
Brianna found her self on the far side of the stadium away from the vast majority of the crowd gathered close to the finish line. Their was a vaulting event going on on this side of the stadium, so the restrooms underneath the stands were fairly empty. The sparsely populated spectators on this side were die hard observers, and therefore the halls beneath the stands were largely vacant. It was a massive structure built to host the world championships next year and was only at maybe 25 percent capacity due to restrictions in place for the virus. Bri thought about how she felt on the track moments ago and how girls would meet in the locker room to settle disputes between classes back in her high school days, how satisfying it was to physically shut someone up who you truly couldn’t stomach. A light turned on in her head and she dug into her bag to retrieve her phone. Through a massaging app she found Kenni’s inbox and quickly typed a message.
*restroom, section 324. We have something to um...”talk” about!
She watched her phone intently and her heart fluttered when the message was subscripted by the word “read”.
Blinking text boxes indicated a reply was pending.
*I’ll be there in 3 minutes!
