The first day jitters are out of the way for Saya Sakakibara, now it's time to win gold.
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That's the mindset for the 21-year-old after she overcame a disastrous opening race to qualify for the semi-final of the BMX racing event in Tokyo.
A poor start left Sakakibara battling mid-pack before she was forced off the course, finishing last in the first of three quarter-final runs.
The Helensburgh athlete recovered to finish fourth in the second race and win the third to do just enough to progress to Friday's semi-finals.
The semi-finals follow the same three-race format as the quarter-finals before a one-race dash for gold in the final.
Sakakibara was relieved to survive Thursday's early hiccup and she's eager to be at her best on Friday.
"When I finished that first one, I saw the number six on the board and I was like, 'holy moly.'" Sakakibara said.
"I could kind of see like my Olympic dream slipping away and I was like, 'no, no, it's not over yet.' I knew that I just had to focus on myself and I knew that I'd done the work, and all I had to do was just relax and just execute what I know.
"In the end I was able to do that on that last one. Finishing the end of the day with a win was definitely really, really big for me."
It's been an emotional build up to the Games for Sakakibara, the racer returning to her mother's homeland for the competition.
Additionally, brother Kai had his Olympic dream dashed after a heavy crash last February.
The incident left him fighting for his life and in a coma for two months.
Kai has made an impressive recovery and he was at his grandmother's home in Tokyo to watch his younger sister ride.
Thursday marked his 25th birthday and Kai said the nerves were high as Saya fought to overcome a poor start.
"I was so scared," he told Channel 7. "If she made one error, like she did in the first one, she would've been out, but she didn't and I feel great.
"Still tomorrow to go, so that's when I'll be really proud of her."
Saya conceded the emotions of the past few weeks made focusing on Thursday challenging, the athlete eager to do her family, in particular her brother, proud.
Winning gold on Friday will not be easy, with two-time defending champion Mariana Pajon dominating her quarter-final.
Dutch sisters Merel and Laura Smelders also cruised through, while world champion Alise Willoughby had a drama-free day.
Sakakibara knows she has to be better on Friday, but with her first dose of Olympic action behind her, she's looking forward to focusing on the task as hand.
"It was really hard to put those emotions on the back-burner and try to focus on myself," Saya said. "I know that Kai's watching and everyone else is watching back at home.
"That's super emotional to have so much support back home, but at the end of the day I have to focus on myself and what I need to do to do my best performance."