U.S. sprinter Twanisha ‘TeeTee’ Terry talks track and field, TikTok, more in Q&A

U.S. sprinter Twanisha “TeeTee” Terry took the track and field world by storm this summer at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon. She anchored the women’s 4x100m relay to gold, holding off Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson in one of the most exciting finishes of the meet. The 23-year-old Miami native — and part-time TikTok sensation — opens up about her first year as a professional athlete and her journey to the sport of track and field below.

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*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

OlympicTalk: How did you get the nickname “TeeTee”?

TeeTee Terry: It was my childhood nickname. I just assumed it was because of my initials. But I’ve always had it since I was a child.

How did you get your start in track and field?

TT: I fell in love with the sport back in 2009. I was 9 years old, walking home from school with my siblings and some of my friends around the time summer recreational sports were starting. I saw a group of kids and adults out at the track, and we decided to just pick a day and try out. I tried out and made it to the Junior Olympics my first year. We broke the national record in the 4x100m for my age group. I went back the following year and just kept going from there on out.

When did becoming a professional athlete become a dream for you and when did you realize that you could actually make it happen?

TT: My sophomore year of high school when I learned that you can go to college for free on an athletic scholarship and if you do what you need to do, run the times you need to run, and get good grades, then you can pick your school of choice. I always had good grades, so for me it was just a matter of looking at what school I wanted to attend