Twanisha Terry leaves her indelible mark on track and field history as a crucial member of Team USA’s dominant 4x100m relay team, consistently rising to the occasion when the stakes are highest. Although she narrowly fell short of the podium in the 100m finals at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics — being slightly edged by fractions of a second, her relay runs have been nothing short of spectacular. In Paris, she clamped the American women’s team with a flawless performance, demonstrating precisely why she’s among the most thrilling sprinters in the sport today.

Sure, the individual Olympic medal has been elusive so far, but that doesn’t take away from everything she’s accomplished. Terry has the 2019 NCAA indoor 60m championship title, six All-American awards, and a track record (pun intended) of making big performances at the times that count most. But here’s the thing that many may not know: behind all of Terry’s accomplishments is her legendary coach, Dennis Mitchell, an Olympic gold medalist himself. Mitchell isn’t only a coach, but he is a creator of champions. Throughout his years of coaching, he has helped numerous young runners become world-class athletes, and Terry’s success is just one of several notable success stories.

So let’s go back in time a little and look at Dennis Mitchell’s own career path — from reigning supreme on the track himself to developing the stars of the next generation.

Meet Twanisha Terry’s Coach: Dennis Mitchell

Dennis Mitchell is a sprint savant with roots as deep in the sport as his athletes’ blocks. Born in Havelock, North Carolina, and raised in Winslow Township, New Jersey, Mitchell first turned heads as a teenage speedster at Edgewood Regional High School before becoming a University of Florida standout under coach Joe Walker (1986–1989). Those years as a Gator refined his track IQ, which he now channels into coaching elite sprinters at Star Athletics, the Montverde, Florida-based training group he founded.

Off the track, he’s married to 2008 Olympic hurdler Damu Cherry-Mitchell, and together they juggle raising four kids with mentoring the next generation of sprint royalty. For Mitchell, speed isn’t just a job, it’s a family affair, blending hard-earned wisdom from his racing days with a knack for unlocking raw talent. When Terry nails a relay handoff or blazes through a 100m, she showcases Mitchell’s legacy.

Dennis Mitchell’s Career Highlights and Achievements

Mitchell has accumulated several accolades throughout his collegiate and professional careers. Thanks to his prowess shown early in life, Dennis was offered a scholarship by the University of Florida. As a Gator, he won the men’s 200m race at the 1989 NCAA Championships. In 2005, Mitchell was inducted into the Hall of Fame of his alma mater as a ‘Gator Great.’

His time with the national team has also been successful, to say the least. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Dennis narrowly missed out on a podium finish after he placed fourth in the men’s 100m race. He also had to watch his hopes for a gold medal crumble after a botched baton pass led to Team USA being disqualified from the men’s 4x100m relay race. However, at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Mitchell not only won gold in the men’s relay race but also secured a bronze medal in the individual 100m race.

Along with these feats, Dennis boasts four World Championship medals, including two golds. Considering how he has tasted glory on his own at the highest levels, it might be surprising to think that he’d be as thrilled as he was when his three students finished 1-2-3 at the Team Trials. But here we are.

Dennis Mitchell’s reaction to his disciple Terry’s performance

While the 58-year-old track coach was obviously elated by Sha’Carri’s success in Eugene, seeing two more of his students also qualify for Paris was a pleasant surprise that Dennis probably wasn’t prepared for. After the women’s 100m final race was over, Citius Mag caught up with him, and Dennis evidently had a hard time trying to mask his jubilation. “TeeTee, just like all of my other girls, is very hard-working. We have seen TeeTee in practice, executing as well as anybody in the world…I knew that she was in 10.8 shape, we just needed to put it out there,” Mitchell was heard saying about Terry’s out-of-the-blue performance at Hayward Field.

“She’s been showing it every day in practice,” Dennis stated with a look of pride on his face as he noted how it was an emotional scene for him to see Richardson, Jefferson, and Terry hugging each other after crossing the finishing line. It does not matter how the three speedsters performed on the biggest stage; it was only Dennis’ training that pushed them to perform there. What is your opinion on this? Comment and let us know.