RALEIGH, N.C. – Olympic rings have swirled around N.C. State alum Gabbi Cunningham's mind for quite a while.

"I knew for sure that I always wanted to be an Olympian," Cunningham said. "It's kind of something I've been pushing for since the ninth grade."

Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee officially announced the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Health and safety concerns regarding COVID-19 have pushed the games back to 2021.

The U.S. Indoor Track & Field Indoor 60-meter hurdles champion was aiming to qualify for this Summer's Olympic Games in either the 100-meter hurdles or as part of the 4x100 meter relay team.

"Going into the oudoor season I was definitely excited knowing that I had a good chance to possibly make the team," Cunningham admitted. "I know that safety is important especially for athletes and fans and everything like that. So postponing it was definitely a good decision."

The former Wolfpack standout is taking the positives out of what's happening. At just 22, Cunningham said that an extra year of training will only help.

"It gives me a longer time frame to just work on those little things that I need to fix," she said.