Runge’s Ninfa Rios had the biggest smile in Texas on her face when she crossed the finish line winning the gold medal in the 300-Meter Hurdles at the state track meet in Austin Saturday.

But just a short while earlier that day, she wasn’t smiling at all.

During her last run-through while warming up getting ready for her event, she stepped in a hole in the turf injuring her ankle with a "pop" that was so loud, her coach heard it across the field.

"I thought it was over," Rios said.

Coach George Jasik carried her to a spot where they could wrap the ankle with towels soaked in cold water.

Things looked pretty bleak for the athlete who won a silver medal at last year’s state meet and was really hoping to get a gold medal this year.

Rios and her coach had a decision to make – whether to go on and compete in the race, or head back home to Runge.

After letting the injury soak for a few minutes, Rios stood up and began to walk on it. It seemed to be getting gradually better and although there was a lot of pain, there was no noticeable swelling.

They decided to try a few more warm-up runs.

The first was a little shaky, but on the second one, Rios began to run better. On the last warm-up run she ran even better and was able to clear the hurdles with no problem.

Together, the athlete and her coach decided to go on.

Not only did Rios compete and finish the race, but her dream came true as she crossed the finish line in first place way ahead of the competition with a smile that lit up the Mike A. Meyers Stadium on the University of Texas campus.

Coach Jasik explained that the athletes had to warm up in an area that had a lot of holes in the ground from various events such as discus, or javelin. He hopes they find a better place for hurdlers to warm up in future state meets.

Of course, Jasik couldn’t be more proud.

"There were senior trips last week," Jasik said. "But Ninfa was coming in for workouts early in the morning."

As it turned out, the hard work and conditioning paid off, as Rios was able to rebound quickly from the injury and go on to win the gold.

When asked how it felt when she crossed the finish line, Rios simply said, "It was amazing!"

Rios said she was hoping the ankle would hold for just 300 more meters and she said it was a tremendous relief when she crossed the finish line.

"My Mom said for Mother’s Day all she wanted was a gold medal," Rios said.

And Ninfa Rios really delivered.

Hurdlers are used to obstacles – they have to jump over hurdles placed in their path, but no one could have expected an obstacle like a last minute ankle injury Ninfa Rios had to contend with.

Rios, who graduates this year and will go on to compete on the track team at Texas A&M Kingsville with a scholarship, is leaving Runge knowing that she never gave up and she really overcame all the obstacles, bringing home state championship honors.