Team USA witnessed some of the most splendid Olympic performances, particularly from female athletes. The women’s track and field team gathered many podium finishes for the country. Sprinters Twanisha Terry and Melissa Jefferson once talked about this, and it turns out that the secret to their good results lay in deeper bonds and friendships.
In an old interview with the USA Track & Field before they reached Paris, Terry and Jefferson sat down to talk about the team’s training, a general check-in to their strengths and weaknesses, and their journeys. Between all these subjects, the host asked the duo if they had anything different going on for their Olympic training since they qualified to fly to Paris.
Jefferson began by talking about their dynamics and how well it played out on the tracks, even if they were competing against each other. They seemed to have learned a lot from Sha’Carri Richardson, who was the World Champion back then and trained alongside them.
But that wasn’t all. It wasn’t possible for any athlete to deliver their full potential every day, and during those days, the women would have each other’s backs. It was a sentiment that both Jefferson and Terry echoed when they talked about their team dynamics.
“We rely on each other. We trust each other…at the end of the day, we’re all humans, but at the same time, we push each other.”
Training together also gave the women the added advantage of knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This meant that not only did they push each other during their individual sprints, but their eventual winning of the medal during the relays was a testament to their teamwork.
Jefferson and Terry share a sisterly bond beyond their track and field endeavors, where they’ve helped each other grow as athletes. The former referred to the Miami native as her elder sister, who was a guiding light throughout her professional career. And now, fans often spot them hanging out together at fashion weeks or matches.
