As Kieran Reilly stood ready to go on his second run of the men's BMX freestyle final at Place de la Concorde, he knew that a bronze medal was in the bag.
Just 0.06 points separated him from home favourite Anthony Jeanjean in silver, while Argentina’s Jose Torres Gil led by 1.12 points.
The 23-year-old from Gateshead had one thing on his mind – gold.
As he pulled off a 720 double tail whip to finish his run, he felt he might have done enough.
In the end, he jumped ahead of Jeanjean for silver, and with his family having made the trip over to the spectacular venue in the shadow of the Obelisk, the overwhelming feeling for Reily was one of pride.
He said: “It was pretty special. I’ve worked three years just to get here so to end up on the podium is huge. A lot of work comes down to one minute on that course and I feel like I left everything out there.
“I’d hoped it was (enough for gold) and thought it could have been but that’s BMX, we ride in a subjective sport.
Some skills!
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 31, 2024
Kieran Reilly's second run was enough for a silver medal for Team GB in the BMX freestyle. #BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/1p7Z2OmPGS
“I wanted to go for gold (on the second run) and leave everything out there. It didn’t matter that I knew I was in a medal position. I didn’t want to switch off. I saw it as an opportunity to really go out there and give it my all and have a safety net. To go out there and move up a spot, that is the goal.
“I thought it might have been enough for gold, it wasn’t. But I’m just as happy knowing that I went out there and I’ll watch it back tomorrow and I know I’ll be proud of everything I did and all the work that went into it.
“During the medal ceremony, I was looking up at the crowd, at my family, trying to embrace everything.”
As he looked up to the crowd, Reilly spotted his whole family watching on, all kitted out in the black and white of Newcastle United.
His dad had been spotted in the Magpies' jersey yesterday during qualifying, and phone calls were made to ensure the whole clan were decked out in the latest kit for the final.
Just ridiculous from GB's Kieran Reilly 🔥
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 31, 2024
His first run in the BMX freestyle final is a stunning one! #BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/uXk4wXOlGh
Reilly’s first run drew gasps from the crowd, with the 720 double tail whip the highlight. That was good enough for second spot, a score of 93.70.
By the time he started again, Jeanjean had overtaken him but Reilly stepped it up to reclaim silver with a score of 93.91, just 0.91 behind Torres Gil.
And while some might spend their time looking back at each moment, wondering if there was a trick or a landing that could have made the difference. Reilly prefers a different approach, and is no doubt right to do so.
He added: “I had prepared very well what I wanted to do and didn’t see the need to change things (before the second run).
"I ended up having to make some small changes because of small mistakes in landings and that might have been what cost me.
"Looking back, I can regret that all I want, or I can be proud of what I pulled off. I’ll stick to the latter.”