Allie Wilson, a graduate of Strath Haven High School from Wallingford, is ranked 12^th in the world in the 800 meters, setting her career-best time of 1:58:09 last summer in Switzerland.

But in 2019, the five-time All-Delco honoree wasn’t sure if she even wanted to take the track in the 800-meter run at the NCCA East preliminary round, writes Isabella DiAmore for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I’m so nervous. I don’t want to do it,” she told her coach Chris Tarello.

“He looked at me and was like, ‘This is literally what you have always wanted, and it’s happening,” she said. “That was kind of a wake-up call for me. You always want that next thing then once it’s here, you kind of lose sight of it.”

On April 29 at the Penn Relays, 27-year-old Wilson won an Olympic development 800-meter run against runners from four countries, giving her the best chance to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Wilson, who turned pro a few years back, dreams of being an Olympian.

She was a finalist in the 800 meters at the 2020 Olympic trials but missed the team by three spots and 64 seconds.

Read more about Allie Wilson in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Find out more about Allie Wilson.