Kellie Wells has yet to wear a uniform with the USA crest across the chest, but she knows the day is coming and she can't wait.
"I look at the uniform everyday. I'm just excited to finally represent my country. I'm stepping into the place that my idols (Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Gail Devers) have been."
That will happen on Sept. 2 when Wells will don the red, white and blue and toe the starting line in the preliminary round of the women's 100-meter hurdles at the International Association of Athletics Federation 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. The championships begin Saturday.
For the 2002 James River High graduate, the world stage has come.
Wells ran 12.5 seconds in the 100 hurdles to capture the USA Track and Field title in Eugene, Ore., in June. The victory was special for two reasons. First, it earned her a spot on her first national team. Second, it came at the same place her career was set back three years ago.
In 2008, Eugene and Hayward Field hosted the U.S. Olympic Trials. Wells had just crossed the line in her semifinal heat when she suffered a third-degree hamstring injury.
"I was perfectly healthy throughout the race," Wells said. "I had run a PR (personal record) of 12.58 at the time. It was a freak accident."
The injury cost her a chance to make the Olympic team and her entire 2009 season.
This year, Wells started her journey back to Eugene by going undefeated in the indoor season en route to winning the 60 hurdle indoor national title in 7.79 in Albuquerque, N.M., in February.
"I came back from preseason training with no pain," said Wells. "I was healthy and I was confident. I always knew that I can be one of the best."
But to make her first national team, Wells had to conquer Hayward Field, the same track that ended her Olympic dreams.
"The good thing is that I practiced on the track before the meet. It gave me a way to make peace with the track," Wells said.
The result was a national title and the opportunity to represent the USA at the World Championships.
"I was so happy. I was relieved that it was over," said Wells. "I went there with the goal of winning. I was so happy that I was able to step out of the shadows of so many hurdlers."
Wells will try to sweep the 100 hurdles titles. Besides teammates Danielle Carruthers and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper, Wells' stiffest competition could come from Australian Sally Pearson, who will go into Daegu with a world-leading time of 12.48.
"I'm just going to go in and execute." Wells said. "No one is invincible. I'm more focused on myself."
And Wells knows that her support system stretches from Daegu to Central Virginia.
"Knowing my friends and family are watching, it makes me nervous, but I love it, too," she said. "With my friends and family behind me, it keeps me motivated.
"It also let me know that I'm not completely alone in this."
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