Swedish striker Kosovare Asllani has just placed the ball on the spot to take the first kick of a penalty shootout to decide the gold medal match of the women's 2020 Olympic soccer final.
Amidst the sweltering Tokyo heat, two hours of play could not separate Sweden and Canada -- now, a lifetime of training and dreams hinges on 10 spot-kicks.
It's about as pressurized as it gets for a footballer and yet, 12 yards away, Canadian goalkeeper Labbe is smiling.
Two days later, Olympic gold medalist and penalty shootout hero Labbe isn't smiling.
She lies in a dark room. She has spent most of the previous 48 hours there.
Overstimulated and feeling "completely dissociated" from her victory, she cannot process any of the thousands of congratulatory messages and media enquiries blowing up her phone in the wake of Canada's historic triumph -- the country's first ever Olympic gold in the women's soccer event.
To understand her numbness following the achievement of a lifelong dream, Labbe takes us back to the first game of the tournament against hosts Japan.
