ATHENS - Ra'ad Aweisat came dead last, 59th slowest time out of 59 in the 100-meter butterfly. But he beat his personal best and it would be nice to write that this young athlete leaves Athens as an example of what the Olympic spirit is all about -- competing and not winning, the pleasure of taking part.

Forget it. Aweisat is bitterly disappointed and upset that he never had a chance.

He's a 17-year-old Palestinian from a small village near Jerusalem.

He trains in the best pool available; it's 25 meters long, half the Olympic length, it's freezing cold in winter, and when it rains, water pours through the pool's plastic cover.

His coach is his father who has gone $20,000 into debt to finance his son's dream, and he gets almost no help from any official Palestinian institution.

A chance at a dream
But when it appeared that Aweisat would not be able to compete in the Olympics because he didn't have any money, a Palestinian businessman from the Persian Gulf stepped in to pick up the bill.

He offered an all-expenses-paid trip for Aweisat and his father to represent Palestine in Athens.

Delight soon turned to gloom, however, when the Palestinian Authority elbowed Aweisat's father aside and sent a government official in his place.

"I am lonely here," Aweisat said. "I wish my father was here with me. He is sad too at home."

Aweisat cuts a sad figure, walking alone in his black sweater, black hair slicked back, along the beach promenade outside Athens where he has rented a room. Or standing on his balcony staring morosely into the distance.

But before the race, he was excited to be in Athens, delighted to represent Palestine, proud to see the Palestinian flag raised at the welcoming ceremony, overwhelmed to participate in the spectacular opening ceremony and above all, anxious to get in the water and present a positive image of Palestinians to the world.

Aweisat has no entourage, no limos, no fat-cat endorsements. In Athens all he has is a volunteer Greek swimming coach who picks him up on an old motorbike and drives him to a local pool to train.

His best time is a full 4 seconds behind the qualifying time, 12 seconds behind the world record.

Aweisat got in as an allocation, a favor to developing nations who otherwise wouldn't have any athletes at the Olympics. And walking among the 203 flags of competing nations, he was sad at the lack of facilities he has back home.

"I hope to go to college in the United States, and get the best coaching in a real pool. Then maybe I'll get faster. My dream? Beijing in four years," Aweisat said.

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