KEY POINTS:
In the middle of the Bird's Nest Stadium early yesterday, Nick Willis was slapping his thighs red-raw to get the blood flowing before the start of his Olympic 1500m final.
Above the excited hum of the crowd, the chant of "Willis, Willis" could be heard coming from a
group of his mates in the stand near the finish line. Willis waved his arms to acknowledge them - but not everyone was so happy with their support.
The group, which included old school mates from Hutt Valley High School, had stripped off their shirts to reveal slogans they had painted on themselves such as "Go Nick".
But within seconds, they were surrounded by guards who ordered them to put their shirts back on, telling them it was "culturally inappropriate". They were made to sit down before the start of the race, which finished with a bronze medal to their hero, the first New Zealander to win a track medal for 32 years.
No amount of security could thwart their enthusiasm, though, as the friends - Stewart, Hamish and Michael Quigg, Hamish Vickerman and Brant Yench - hollered themselves hoarse. For Stewart Quigg and Mr Vickerman, it was nothing new to see their friend crossing the line, arms aloft. They remembered when Willis first started running.
"When he would run around the track, everyone would stop and watch, he was so fast," said Mr Quigg.
"He was pretty good at rugby, too," said Mr Vickerman, "but he was a bit small and he kept getting knocked out."
Also watching in the stands was Willis' brother Stephen and his father Richard.
"I remember when we were kids and we'd get up in the morning and we'd watch the Olympics on TV together," said Stephen. "He was 4 and I was 12. So to now see him come across the line is something special. I said to dad [Richard] when he got out, 'he's got a medal'." Willis' wife, Sierra, and his brother-in-law, Tony Mlynarek, were also at the stadium.
"To see him cross the line was incredible.
"When I saw him move up into the medal position, I just remember screaming," she said.
It felt like it took an age for him to reach her as he made his victory lap. "When he did, he got pretty emotional."
Mrs Willis said her husband had been calm and relaxed on the day of the race. "I think he was really confident."
The couple, who have been married a year, had planned to stay together in Beijing, but Willis' request to stay out of the village had been denied by the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
"The NZOC said it was against their blanket policy, that it was safety reasons," said Nick Willis. "[Sierra] wasn't able to get into the village so we found next best option. She was staying 3km away so I would go visit her during the days."
They watched episodes of Lost and read. When Willis wanted to switch off he turned on his iPod.
And then, just before the race, he and his brother prayed.
"We just prayed thanks for everything that had built to this moment. We just wanted to offer this race back up to Him and then I went off to the call room," said Willis. A few minutes later, he was an Olympic medallist.
