Ellie Cole walked onto the pool deck for the women's 100m S9 freestyle final with extra purpose.
It seemed slower than usual, more deliberate, as she looked around the packed arena at Sandwell Aquatics Centre.
You could see her mind ticking over, thinking about the last time before retirement.
And when Australia's most decorated female Paralympian touched the wall in fifth place, it all started to come out.
"Walking away from the pool and looking behind me one last time, I think that's when it really hit me," an emotional Cole said.
"It's really special to be a Paralympian, I don't think I can really put into words how much the Paralympic movement has completely changed my life.
"I was just thinking back to when I was a little girl and it felt like only yesterday I had a floatie on my back.
"So much has happened since then, and I owe everything that I am to the Paralympic movement and knowing that it's over now, I guess I've got to find something else to do."
While Cole couldn't nab a medal in her final race, it hardly matters.
She came to Birmingham to say goodbye to her sport, to her friends, to an important part of her life, and she's done it her way.
"I just fell in love with everything that being a Paralympian was, that's why I went to four Games, I would go to so many more if my body would allow me to," she said.
"Now I get to sit back and watch the Aussies dominate for the next five days, and I'm the world's biggest swimming fan and I get poolside tickets, so it's pretty great."
The first timers club
Sam Short will be sure to get Cole excited in the stands over the coming days.
In his first international final, the 18-year-old was part of an Australian trifecta in the men's 400 metres freestyle.
World champion Elijah Winnington won gold, Short took silver, and Mack Horton bronze.
"I want to do it again already so I'm over the moon," Short said.
"I was just stoked to race with the big dog and I was next to the former Olympic champ [Horton] I was in the race with the world champ [Winnington], Europeans I've never raced before in my life. So I was just excited all round."
The teenager was bursting with energy after receiving his medal, and he's savouring his Commonwealth Games experience.
"I love it, it's given me a new reason to keep training. I've never stayed in a village environment before, this is all new to me, this whole media thing, like everything is new," he said.
"And I just want to do it again and again and again."
Mollie O'Callaghan, 17, was just as buoyant after her gold in the 4x100 metres freestyle mixed relay, and silver behind training partner Ariarne Titmus in the women's 200 metres freestyle.
O'Callaghan charged through the water in the final stages and came within centimetres of upstaging one of Australia's biggest names.
"I just focused on myself, I felt like this meet I had a lot less pressure to perform," she said.
"I just thought of this race as more fun than anything, but I just had to work my strengths, and it just worked out nicely."
Titmus meanwhile, knew that there would be no easy medals at this Games considering the talent chasing her at home in training.
"I knew coming into this that she would be there," Titmus said.
"She's young, she's feisty, she's hungry. That's what I was like, and I'm still like that.
"But she's been doing really well, so it's exciting to have a bit of a battle out there, it makes it fun."
Madi Wilson won bronze in the event and was happy to watch her teammates shine.
"So proud of these girls, I've seen them come onto the team as little babies, Mollie especially," she said.
"She was such a little junior last year and she's still such a baby, we're chasing her around all the time, but just to see her absolutely smash that last 50 then, it's amazing."
The gold rush begins
It's not often the gold medallists are relegated to the post-script, and that's no slight on them.
Australian fans have become spoiled by the seemingly endless waves of success from the Dolphins, and to win five out of seven golds on the opening night was quite the statement.
Winnington was under world record pace for half of the 400 freestyle before falling away, but he's happy to keep chasing.
"My mind coach and I always say, you know, it's pretty hard being the hunted," he said.
"But having that world record there means I'm still the hunter, so I've got something to chase. I may be number one, but I'm always striving for better."
Timothy Hodge won the men's 100 metres backstroke S9, while Zac Stubblety-Cook claimed the 200 metres breaststroke.
William Yang, Kyle Chalmers, O'Callaghan, and Emma McKeon finished off the night with victory in the 4x100 mixed relay.
