Video: From Texas via Pullman to Beijing

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SEATTLE – It's a long road from Sachse, Texas to Pullman, Wash.

It's even longer still from Pullman to Beijing.

That's the journey Diana Pickler is on now that she's made the U.S. Olympic Team in the heptathlon.

Pickler was very close to missing out on the trip – 0.7 seconds to be exact.

In the last of the seven heptathlon events, the 800 meters, Pickler had to stay within 1.5 seconds of Gigi Johnson to secure the final U.S. spot. Johnson seemed to let up near the end, allowing Pickler to come in close enough to take the berth away.

"It came down to the (800m) and that's not been my strength. Racing in the eight and having the guts in it and I finally showed that I have it and that means the world to me. I know I can do it, so it's cool," said Pickler.

So how did a Texas girl wind up at Washington State University?

"The little man over there in the white hat," said Pickler on Saturday. "That's the reason I went there."

The man in the white hat is long time Cougar head track coach Rick Sloan, a multi-event specialist. He calls Pickler one of the best track and field athletes he's seen in the 35 years he's been on the job.

She's got the physical strength and she has the mental strength as well. She competes very well," said Sloan.

The four-time college All-American was just half of a Texas two-fer for WSU. Twin sister Julie was also a multi-event star for the Cougs.

But as Diana broke through to the Olympics, Julie broke down. She only completed six of the seven events and withdrew.

"It was extremely hard to watch my sister. You know, this was her dream like it was our dream," said Diana. "It was crushed for her yesterday so it was really hard seeing her so upset, but I just sort of had to put the blinders on and focus on myself."

The Olympic dream is one she's been chasing since she was a little girl. It just didn't come true quite the way she'd pictured it.

"I was in gymnastics for six years and I thought that was going to be my life and then I kind of grew to 5-feet 10-inches and that didn't work out," said Diana. "Didn't know it was going to be track and field."

Diana actually credits her mom's home-cooked spaghetti for some of her success. She feasted on it between competition days in the two-day heptathlon.