Kellie Wells (Getty Images)
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Here we go again”? “Here’s another test, trial, obstacle…another hurdle?” I can imagine this very thought recently running through the mind of Kellie Wells. If that name sounds familiar, it should. Kellie Wells is a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist. Her event, the 100-meter hurdles. She out ran the American media’s event favorite, Lolo Jones It was a personal upset for Jones. The upset is not speculation. Here it is years later and Jones recently reveals she hasn’t fully healed from the sting of defeat by posting to Twitter a rant accusing Wells of using performance enhancing drugs.
These days social media has become its own type of sporting event where users hit hard, talk “smack”, and run threads of belittling comments back and forth trying to out best whomever is involved. Lolo just might have added another event other than bobsledding to her skill set…cyber bullying. Lolo went low, but Wells didn’t. Wells went high and hurdled these accusations with the same grace and good sportsmanship she used to win her bronze medal. She found a more positive way to declare she’s not a cheater. She so easily moved passed the negative comments because for Kellie, track and field is more than a sport. The sport has provided her life lessons on how to approach life’s difficulties.
Let’s highlight her marathon journey in terms of a 10 second sprint. One of the biggest hurdles Wells crossed surrounds a childhood trauma. At the age of 16 she was raped by her stepfather. And, a short one month later she lost both her mother and her stepfather (abuser) in a car accident. Suffice it to say, track and field has helped her navigate her way through more than a mere social media scandal. Track and field helped to build her character, integrity and a fortitude to “keep on keeping on”.
Kellie Wells has proven time and time again that she’s a fighter; she’s a survivor, and most appropriately, she’s an overcomer. Despite the odds, she always finds the strength to fulfill one of her mantras, to “press on”. Keep clearing hurdles Kellie Wells, and thank you for inspiring us to press on!
(Watch Kellie’s bronze medal run below.)