Little over two years ago, Archie Goodburn's world fell apart. The Scottish 50m breaststroke record holder, then 22, was dreaming of the Paris Olympics when a phone call after a training session confirmed he had brain cancer.
Goodburn had already been dealing with unusual problems in training, including seizures, numbness on his left side and a feeling of deja-vu. Tests had been carried out and his scan results were due when he dried off after another gruelling pool session, saw a missed call on his phone and called back.
What followed was devastating. He was told he had brain cancer, and further investigation, including biopsy surgery, revealed three low-grade tumours that were inoperable and could not be removed because of how they had spread through his brain. He was told the reality was that he might not see his 40s.
So when Goodburn - now 25 - walked out to perhaps the loudest ovation of the week at Tollcross on Monday to compete in a Commonwealth Games final, it was the culmination of a remarkable journey. After qualifying on Sunday, tears fell as the scale of what had happened, and what he was doing, hit home. But by the time he stepped on the blocks for the final, the competitor had returned.
What did the race mean to him?
The race meant far more than a medal opportunity, even though Goodburn had targeted podium success in the 50m breaststroke. It represented the fulfilment of a primary goal, the chance to compete on a major stage and a moment to focus on sport amid the uncertainty of living with brain cancer.
"Last night, I was so overcome to have achieved that primary goal of making the final. Then over the next 24 hours, you look for more," he told Scotland.
Goodburn’s perspective was understandable. Astonishingly, he is in the best shape of his life in swimming terms. He lowered the national record to 27.12 seconds in February and qualified fifth fastest for this event.
New treatments - which he fought hard to be given access to - have slowed the growth of his tumours, and he recently graduated from Edinburgh University with a first in chemical engineering. Ultimately, he finished joint seventh - "joint last" as he put it - and missed out on the 50m breaststroke medal he craved.
Why is this week about more than sport?
This race and this week have been about much more than podiums and plaudits for the remarkable young man from Edinburgh, who continues to fight not only his own brain cancer, but also the impact of the disease on others.
"It's pretty indescribable," he told Scotland when asked what the past 24 hours have been like. "Usually the words flow easily, but I'm finding myself quite speechless.
"I was really trying to soak it up, because I didn't feel like I really got much of a chance to do that after the semi. And the experience was everything I dreamed of and more. But the time, unfortunately, wasn't there."
These Games - and this summer - have been such a focus for Goodburn amid the darkness of the past two years, and he spoke afterwards about being eager to watch back the race and pore over his data as many athletes would.
He also talked about the support of his family and girlfriend Ciara Schlosshan, who competed for Scotland in the 100m butterfly just five minutes before he did.
But not many swimmers - standing wrapped in a towel, goggles strapped to their head and wearing just their jammers - would talk so passionately and eruditely about ensuring brain cancer research is properly resourced.
Team-mate Duncan Scott called him "inspirational" and no wonder.
What is Goodburn hoping for next?
Goodburn said he wants to keep advocating both for himself and for others facing the same disease, while also continuing to compete as an athlete. He described the tension between those roles as something that has become part of his life since his diagnosis.
"I was thinking today, the goal was to make the final, and the dream was to win a medal," Goodburn said. "That dream didn't come true, but one of my other dreams is that we see a future where brain cancer isn't the biggest killer of patients under 40."
"I advocate to try and extend my own life, but also for the other young patients and adults going through what I'm going through.
"With everything that's going on with my health, it's been difficult to think 'why am I here? Am I here to advocate as a patient advocate, or am I here to just be a professional athlete?' And it's kind of turned into a bit of both.
"I wonder how I'm going to feel off the back of this. But I know that I'm going to have memories to last a lifetime."
For Goodburn, the medal dream did not come true on Monday, but his wider fight continues - in the pool, in advocacy and in the hope of better outcomes for future brain cancer patients.
Key Facts
- Archie Goodburn was diagnosed with brain cancer little over two years ago, when he was 22.
- Biopsy surgery revealed three low-grade tumours that were inoperable because they had spread through his brain.
- He lowered the Scottish 50m breaststroke record to 27.12 seconds in February and qualified fifth fastest.
- Goodburn graduated from Edinburgh University with a first in chemical engineering.
- He finished joint seventh in the Commonwealth Games 50m breaststroke final at Tollcross.
