Bahrain have selected the youngest ever competitor at the swimming world championships - at just 10 years old.
Alzain Tareq will compete in the women's 50 metres butterfly in Kazan this evening, despite having not told her classmates back home about her remarkable achievement.
Despite her tender years, Tareq insists her selection is justified - because she is the fastest swimmer.
"It is quite logical. I'm the fastest swimmer in Team Bahrain," she told the tournament's organising committee.
"I was the fastest among my rivals at the qualifying stage. Were there adult swimmers? Yes, sure, but I had had to overcome my peers before I got there."
Her father, Tareq Salem, was a professional swimmer himself, and has supported his daughter throughout her rapid rise to the world stage, having started swimming at the age of four.
Bahrain are not a powerhouse within the sport, and Tareq is unlikely to trouble the medalists, giving up as much as 17 seconds and 20 years to some other members of the butterfuly field.
Her time of 41.12 is the slowest in qualifying, while her 38.21 in the 50 metres freestyle also has her towards the back of the field.
However, despite the odds being stacked against her, she is not daunted by the prospect.
She added: "I have so many tournaments under my belt - not such international global championships, but still, I am scared of no one and nothing!
"The most important thing for me is to gain experience of competing at high-profile events, watch the technical skills of famous Olympic champions and maybe even add some of their skills to my armoury."