Professional track & field athlete Valery "Val" Tobias recently had a breakthrough race to run 1:59.55 and finish second in the 800m at the USATF Indoor Championships. That qualified her to represent the U.S. at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, which take place March 21–23 in Nanjing, China.

Val was born in Texas but lived in Mexico until middle school, when she moved back to the U.S. Her teachers discovered her talent for running during a gym class mile, and she's been on an upward trajectory ever since.

She was a four-time All-American in the 800m for the University of Texas and is now in her second year of professional running, for the Brooks Beasts. After struggling a bit during her rookie year, her hard work is paying off now.

If her mention of swearing on NBC made you curious, you can watch the clip here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEYPB8pn14Y&t=180s. It was pretty mild.

Follow Val on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valerytobias/

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