heaven-sent - Pablo Gavi

1. world cup winners

„Spain is U23 World Champion! Congratulations!" the commentators screamed into the microphone, while the fans erupted in cheers and whistles. Everything seemed like a fever dream. Gold glitter was falling, while the Spanish supporters were still screaming in joy. My teammates all jumped up and down after hearing the last whistle and celebratory music blasted through the speakers shortly after.

I was embraced by Elena and Clara, then pulled onto the floor with them in my arms. We were sobbing, still not believing we just won the hard-fought final against the USA.

„We're world champions Lucia!" Clara hiccuped, making me smile while I was sure my mascara was running down my face. Did I care? Not really, the pictures of me already looked bad by the way I've been crying for the past five minutes.

The next twenty minutes were like a bliss. We all somewhat calmed down, then thanked and consoled the players of the USA. My parents then smothered me with kisses and hugs, while my brothers took pictures.

My teammates waved me over, telling me the ceremony would begin soon.

„We will now present to you the best players of the tournament, voted by fans and managers." A lady in a suit spoke, trying to calm the crowd to proceed the awarding.

Best manager went to the American coach, MVP was our outside hitter María from our team and best libero was awarded to... me?

My eyes widened in surprise when I heard my name and I felt like my feet were glued to the floor. Only when Elena finally slapped my back I started to move. I went up to the podium, collected my individual award and posed for pictures. I grinned for so long now already, my cheeks hurt terribly but that did not make me stop. My team was still cheering next to me, making me smile even more.

Never in a million years did I, Lucia Torres, believe I would come so far and win a world cup and my first ever individual trophy.

A sense of pride washed over me, never really leaving my body until the early morning hours.

We partied what felt like an eternity, the hotel we booked hosted a party for players and family. When the festivities there slowly came to an end, the players decided to go to a nearby club, even though it was already 3am. But we frankly did not care and returned to our hotel rooms at around seven in the morning, totally hammered.

I usually don't drink, as it isn't really good for a professional athlete, but I gave myself a pass. You aren't crowned world champion every day.

--

My alarm went off only four hours later. I thought I would actually feel more shit than I did in the end, but I apparently drank enough water yesterday to not have a hangover.

Coaches and players would meet at twelve for a celebratory lunch, then having the afternoon free to do whatever we wanted. Sadly, I agreed to an interview with the Spanish press beforehand about me and the world cup, so I did not get much free time to spend with my friends.

But I thought this was the perfect opportunity to make volleyball more interesting for other people, as this press was very well known around Spain.

After a shower, I went for lunch alongside Clara and Elena. It was so fun, so many pictures were taken for various different social media accounts, and we were so happy to not be on a restricted diet for the next two weeks, because the food was simply delicious here.

After lunch I was led to a room where the interview took place.

„Hello, you must be Lucia Torres! Congratulations on winning the World Cup! I'll be in charge for the interview today." The guy said, seeming very polite. I thanked him and got ready in front of the camera to answer these questions.