For Evanston Grad, An Olympic Dream Achieved

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Olympic dreams turned into reality for a young track star from Evanston, but she won't be representing the United States.

Rather, Margaret Bamgbose will compete for her home country of Nigeria, CBS 2's Audrina Bigos reports.

When Bamgbose is reminded that she is on the road to Rio, she replies, simply, "It feels great, it feels amazing, just to have made it this far."

She's quite calm and collected, preparing for a race where every hundreth of a second counts.

"Track is like 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical," she said.

The Evanston High School graduate now runs for Notre Dame, as a way to pay for her higher education.

Now, it has become much more.

She's U.S.-born to Nigerian parents.

The Olympic Trials this month in Nigeria was her first time competing in the country and her first time visiting since she was three years old.

"So basically my first time, because I didn't remember anything and it was a culture shock," said Bamgbose.

She qualified in the women's 400 meters. And now she's ready for her next hurdle, competing with the best athletes in the world.