Erica Wiebe bounded up the stairs as if she had just been shot out of a canon, energy bursting from an athlete with something to prove.
Highs and lows had brought the Canadian wrestler to this point and, win or lose, she was intent on leaving with no regrets.
"I just wanted to unleash everything that I put in over the last eight years," said Wiebe. "To not put it all out on the mat, that's the worst feeling."
The 27-year-old from Ottawa dominated Guzel Manyurova of Kazakhstan to win Olympic gold in the final of the 75-kilogram category on Thursday and continue Canada's medal streak in women's wrestling.
"It was like I had laser focus on what I needed to do," said Wiebe. "When the match ended I was still not sure really what happened. Now I have this nice little heavy reminder around my neck about what happened, but it still hasn't sunk in.
"It's been a journey. I never imagined this would happen. I dreamt about it."
Wiebe had doubted her own ability as recently as last year after failing to qualify for the Pan Am Games, but a rededication had her brimming with confidence heading into her first Olympics.
"It was just this momentum that was mounting," she said. "The process to get here was so hard, but when I woke up this morning I knew I had done every single thing I could to wrestle my best."
Wiebe thumped the 38-year-old Manyurova, who took silver in 2004 and bronze in 2012, winning by a score of 6-0 after downing Vasilisa Marzaliuk of Belarus, China's Fengliu Zhang and Germany's Maria Selmaier earlier in the day. Zhang and Russia's Ekaterina Bukina shared the bronze medal.
"I was just a random person, everyday girl, and just trying to work hard and do my best," said Wiebe, who carried coach Paul Ragusa around the mat after her win. "For it to end like this, it's pretty amazing."
With the victory, Wiebe follows in the footsteps of two-time Olympic medallist Carol Huynh, the winner of Canada's first-ever gold in women's wrestling in Beijing eight years ago, and Tonya Verbeek, who finished on the podium at three separate Games.
"It's an honour to add my name to that list of Olympians wrestling for Canada," said Wiebe. "We have such a strong female program. The girls who came before me, the girls on the team with me now and the girls who are coming up behind us. I'm so proud to be a Canadian wrestler."
Canada has never missed the podium since women's wrestling made its Olympic debut in Athens in 2004.
"The tradition continues! #soproudofyou," tweeted Huynh, Canada's assistant chef de mission in Rio.
Wiebe teared up on the podium as she examined the medal around her neck. She then sang along as O Canada played and the Maple Leaf was raised, kissing the medal before posing for a photo with her fellow competitors.
"I was a training partner in London and I snuck up onto the mats to see what it was like and it was like the same mats that I trained on every day," she said. "I knew I could be there in four years. It hasn't been easy, but it is amazing."
Wiebe said she didn't think about the fact Manyurova was a two-time medallist.
"It was push the pace, keep my hands on her, pressure her, break her, make her want to quit," said Wiebe. "It's a battle. I battle every single day in the room. In the last six weeks I've had six stitches and a replaced tooth. We go hard in training. I wanted to have all that work pay off today, and it did."
Canada's only other gold in wrestling was won by Daniel Igali in 2000.
Thursday's win at Barra Olympic Park was Canada's fourth gold medal in Brazil, equalling the combined haul from 2008 (three) and 2012 (one), and the most since the seven collected in Barcelona in 1992.
The Canadian team's 2016 tally now sits at four gold, three silver and 11 bronze after a banner Thursday that included Wiebe's triumph, Andre De Grasse's silver in the men's 200-metre race, diver Meaghan Benfeito's second bronze of the Games and Damian Warner's bronze in decathlon.
Wiebe beat Marzaliuk 3-0 in the semifinals after coming from behind to defeat Zhang 3-1 in the quarters.
A gold medallist at both the Commonwealth Games and the World University Championships in 2014, Wiebe started things off by beating Selmaier 3-0 in the round of 16.
"Her hard work has paid off," said Ragusa. "To be honest with you, she just scratched the surface."
In other action involving Canadians, Saskatoon's Jillian Gallays lost her qualification match to North Korea's Myong Suk Jong in the 53-kilogram category, while Danielle Lappage of Olds, Alta., withdrew because of injury early in her showdown with Ukraine's Yulia Tkach at the same stage of the 63-kilogram division.
Canadian women's national team coach Leigh Vierling said Lappage hurt her back in warmup and tried to battle through, but the visibly distraught 25-year-old only lasted 40 seconds before calling it quits.
"Things happen quickly," Vierling said in describing the injury. "I don't know if it was slippery ... she went to elevate her training partner and kind of slipped back and got caught in a really funny position — almost like a splits."
Lappage — who also won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and World University Championships — still had a shot at a bronze by way of the repechage if she recovered in time, but Tkach lost her next bout, eliminating the Canadian.
"It tears my heart apart," said Vierling. "(Lappage) was just so ready to win this thing."
Gallays, 29, was also eliminated from a possible repechage spot after Jong lost in the quarters.
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