Luis Grijalva is more accustomed to the pace of long-distance races. Still, he is doing his best to keep up with his harried journey from qualifying for the Olympic Games to Friday's men's 5,000-meter final.
"In all honesty I didn't think I was going to come here this year," Grijalva, who just completed his senior season at Northern Arizona, told ESPN's Fernando Palomo in Tokyo. "Everything's been kind of last minute."
The 22-year-old is representing Guatemala at Tokyo 2020 and is the first Central American athlete to qualify for the event's final. He is also an undocumented immigrant and a "Dreamer" as a recipient of the U.S.'s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. That means he had to jump through hoops just to travel to Tokyo -- let alone ensure his return. He booked his flight a week after the opening ceremonies.
"I didn't know I was going to be out here until this past Monday [July 26]," Grijalva said. "It's my fourth day out here, so I'm really excited to be here."
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Grijalva's second-place time of 13:13.14 in the 5,000 meters at June's NCAA track and field championships earned him a spot on the Guatemalan Olympic team and set in motion a series of events with the goal of getting him to Tokyo and back. His trip to Japan is his first outside the United States since his family moved to the United States when he was just a year old. "I'm a DACA and a Dreamer," he said.
Because he is a DACA recipient, Grijalva's request to travel internationally needed approval from the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, a process he said can take more than 90 days. He hired lawyer Jessica Smith Bobadilla on July 1 and was able to secure a permit three days after the opening ceremonies.
"It's not like I'm visiting Tokyo just to visit. I'm here to compete in the Olympic Games," he said.
Through it all, Grijalva said Smith Bobadilla accompanied him through the expedited back-and-forth with CIS in explaining to officials the significance of his trip. U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, among others, also lent his support.
Had the approval not come through, Grijalva said he would have considered self-deporting to make his Olympic dream come true. As fortune would have it, he can return to the only home he has ever known without any issues once the Games are over.
"It was all really rushed. It was all, in the end, about knowing the right people, who to talk to and having the right connections," Grijalva said. "It was kind of last-minute, but last-minute in a good way."
Grijalva, who went to Armijo High School in Fairfield, California, described the feeling of having the stamped document in his hands as "unreal." He didn't have much time to celebrate, however -- he had been in Tokyo a little over 48 hours before participating in his first race in hot and humid conditions. His time of 13.34.11 put him in Friday's final -- as the last qualifier.
In Tokyo, Grijalva is adjusting to competing against world-class runners -- the world-record holder in the 5,000 meters was in his semifinal race. But there's so much more off the track. He enjoys the atmosphere with athletes from all over the world. A glimpse at retired NBA center Yao Ming left an impression.
"Being able to talk to people from different countries, it's an honor," he said. "It changes my perspective in so many ways. It's pretty awesome how the Olympics brings everyone together."
With his spot in the final and his trip home secured, Grijalva isn't putting any undue pressure on himself. Even if he finishes last, he will be considered the 15th-best runner in the world. That doesn't mean he won't give it his all and shoot for a top-10 performance for the country of his birth.
"I'm here now," Grijalva said. "I'm proud to represent Guatemala. It's an honor."