Two-time World Athletics Championships gold medalist and Miami native, Twanisha “TeeTee” Terry Oly, visited the Hard Rock Stadium having been invited by Jaguar TCS Racing for the big event. One of the world’s most rapid female sprinters, Terry has stopped the 100m clocks at a remarkable 10.74s and 200m at 22.21s!
The Olympian spent time with Jaguar driver Antonio Felix da Costa during the buildup to the race weekend and Terry told Formula E Notebook that her involvement with Jaguar at the Miami EPrix, “felt like it was a very authentic collaboration, considering I run, we both deal with speed, but obviously they’re on another type of track.
“For us to be able to cross paths, because I feel like we have a lot of things that intersect with one another, so for me being able to meet Antonio and him learning about track and field and me learning about Formula E, just getting familiar with what Formula E actually is,” added the baton-grappling ace.
Prior to the EPrix, Terry spent several days filming content with da Costa, where they spoke in depth about the parallels of their roles in their respective sports. Though different disciplines, their main goals are speed, energy management and distribution.
Taking to FEN about the similarities, Terry said “Everything comes down to how he drives the car, how he performs, and I feel like that’s the same with my event. In track and field, once I get out on the track, it’s all about how I decide to run, how I decide to put things together. That determines the outcome.
“Antonio, when he’s on the track, there are certain areas where you want to just sit behind your competitor or some areas where you want to make that move, and I feel like that’s the same thing with track.
“The 100m is very quick, but I also run a 200m. You may not want to use all your energy coming straight off the turn. You want to use some of your energy, sit on your competitor, and then once you hit another gear, you want to take it on home. So, I feel like there are a lot of parallels that happen between the two.”
The parallels don’t just translate to on the track; they also have a lot of behind the scenes support from different members of their team.
Terry told FEN “On the back end, I have a coach, I have a nutritionist, I have a physio, I have a sports psych. There are so many people that’s involved with my performance, but at the end of the day, we’re the only ones that have to get out there and compete as an athlete. I feel like that’s kind of where we intersect.”
Though a complex topic, Terry shared with FEN her discussions with da Costa about the importance of a sports psychologist to help maintain a high level of performance. “The importance of having a team and how important a sports psychologist is, especially with both of us being the top in our game.
“I feel like once you get to the top, it’s hard to stay at the top. So, you need those extra people to help push you to stay there because it’s easy to get there. But it’s like, ‘how do I maintain this?’ she added.
“And, myself being a multi-time world gold medallist and an Olympic medallist, and himself being a World Champion, you have to be able to maintain that level of success. Sometimes as athletes we tend to be hard on ourselves. So, we need those other people in our corners to kind of snap us back into it. Like, ‘hey, you may have not gotten the result you wanted but look at how far you came. Look at what you did. Look at the circumstances you were dealing with.”
Looking at the future of Formula E and how the championship can nurture the personalities within its eco-system, Terry said “When it comes to that, they do a great job of being able to express themselves and really be authentic.
“Especially in the cars, when you hear them on the mic and being in the moment, letting out their frustration or certain things that they’re feeling. It still shows that they’re humans at the end of the day.
“I think a lot of people see us as athletes and feel like we’re not supposed to act or respond to certain things, but I feel like that allows us to be able to connect with viewers to let them know, ‘hey, I know I may have this type of status because I’m an athlete, but at the end of the day, I’m going through some of the same things you’re going through.”
The U.S relay gold medalist explained that 2026 is an “off year” and that the main goal is “is being consistent.
“I know when I’m consistent that I will run the times that I need to run and I will eventually have the drops that I need to have. Then, just preparing myself for going into 2027 for a World Championship year.”
‘TeeTee’s’ Key Achievements and Career Highlights:
- Olympics: Olympic gold medalist (often noted as 2-3 time world champion/medalist).
- Specialisation: 100-meter sprinter, training daily in track and weight room.
- Author: Released children’s books, including “TeeTee’s World Adventure: Little Steps, Big Wins“.
- Community Work: Founder of Starting Blocks for Dreams Inc., which focuses on providing resources for young athletes.
