When Marcus Titus is gliding through the water, his head bobbing up and down, he doesn’t hear the roar of the crowd.

Or anything else, for that matter.

Deaf since birth, Titus swims in a quiet isolation that he believes actually gives him an edge over those in the other lanes, who can hear everything going on around them.

“I don’t have to hear the crowd, the noises, the distractions,” Titus said. “I can just focus on my race.”

Now, Titus is on the cusp of his first Olympics.

He qualified for Tuesday’s final of the 100-meter breaststroke at the U.S. swimming trials. If he can finish in the top two, he’ll be headed to Rio, no doubt serving as an inspiration to others with so-called disabilities.

“I just felt really awesome,” Titus said after the semifinals Monday night, speaking as well as communicating with sign language. “I know I can get on the Olympic team.”

No matter what, the 30-year-old already feels like a winner.

A native of Tucson, Arizona, Titus didn’t start swimming competitively until his freshman year of high school, but he never let his disability stand in the way.