Michael Chadwick stands behind the starting blocks at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska -- one foot on the blue floor and the other about a foot off the ground on the step. His eyes are hidden behind dark mirrored goggles, but his gaze does not waver from the lane in front of him.

As he prepares for his preliminary race in the 100-meter freestyle at Olympic Trials in late June, Chadwick has only one thing on his mind: his Olympic dream.

Chadwick shakes out his left arm, then his right. He brings his left hand up and smacks his chest hard, leaving a bright red mark. He brings up his right hand and does the same. He does not feel a sting, only the blood rushing through his body. He is ready.

The starter's whistle breaks his meditation, and Chadwick steps onto the block. He grabs the handles, places his foot on the fin, and coils.

At the signal, Chadwick leaps off the blocks and into the water. On contact, his hands, which are clasped tightly on top of one another above his head, are wrenched to his sides. With a quick kick and a thrash, he comes to the surface and begins swimming, but his momentum is gone.

In a race where a 10th of a second can separate competitors, Chadwick could not overcome such a mistake. At the conclusion of the preliminary heats, Chadwick is 17th, one spot shy of the semifinals. His dream of Rio is dead.

His performance was certainly a disappointment but not a failure, according to Chadwick.

"I learned so much just going through that process," Chadwick said. "Success is a much wider spectrum than just achieving your goals."

Chadwick, a senior at the University of Missouri, has become familiar with success since starting college in 2013. He emerged from Charlotte Latin High School as a little-known talent and in his first three years at Missouri has grown to be one of the elite swimmers in the NCAA. Last year he cemented his status as a premier college swimmer by finishing sixth in the 100-yard freestyle and fourth in the 50-yard freestyle at the NCAA championships.

For Chadwick, the catalyst to that rise was not a time drop or breakthrough swim but a disappointment. After his freshman season, he began the summer with ambitious plans. He set his sights on earning a spot on the national team, an honor given to the six fastest swimmers in the country in each event.

"My goals were high, and many people said they were unreachable for me," he said. "But I continued to set goals that would really cause me to push myself and stretch my dreams."

At the end of the summer, Chadwick finished 56th in the 100-meter freestyle at nationals, a result that left him far from contention for the U.S. team.

"I could have come off that meet and said, 'I'm defeated. I'm not as good as I want to be and taken a few steps back,'" Chadwick said. "But instead, I set my goals even higher."

The following year was a breakout one for Chadwick. He finished in the top eight at NCAAs for the first time in the 100-yard freestyle. The following summer was even more impressive. He made the U.S national team for the first time, finishing fifth at nationals that summer.

Chadwick looks to rebound from this summer's disappointment in a similar way. As he enters his senior year, both he and the Missouri men's swim team are at a crossroads.

After finishing eighth at NCAAs in March, the Tigers are looking to make a jump into the top five this season and cement themselves as one of the country's elite programs. Chadwick wants to establish himself as top American sprinter and use this season as a launching point for international success as well.

"This is kind of my turning point where I can go one of two directions," Chadwick said. "I can say I didn't make the team, finish up my senior year, and stop, or I can say I didn't reach my goal I learned a lot and I'm going to go into my senior year, make this the best year possible, and set myself up for my career."
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