Well, I tried.
Sometimes, when you're competing at the highest level against some of the best athletes in the world, you can do your best and still come up short.
That's exactly what happened on qualification day at the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships in Belgium.
I finished in 11th place in the vault, which isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. I was certainly proud of myself, but it also meant I was the second reserve.
As a general rule, second reserves don't often compete in the final, which meant I wouldn't have a chance to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Since I was a little girl, I've always dreamed of competing in the Olympics one day. In the sport of gymnastics, there isn't a higher honor than competing for your country on the world stage.
While I wouldn't be competing at the 2024 Olympics, I still had lots to look forward to in my gymnastics career for my home country of Hungary and my college team.
But in a dramatic turn of events, I received word on a 45-minute notice that I was going to compete in the finals after all.
I had every possible emotion going through me at that moment, but I didn't want my mind to get the better of me and lose focus.
I had waited my entire life for this moment, and I was going to take advantage of this life-changing opportunity that just had been presented to me.
8th in the 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃. ✨
— Nebraska Women's Gymnastics (@HuskerWGym) October 7, 2023
Our very own Csenge Bácskay competed in Vault finals at world championships today, earning 8th place!
🔗 https://t.co/oWaqS5AOV4 pic.twitter.com/JDm2ZLlxpl