Track & Field

How long did you talk about retiring before you actually did it?

How I Retired with a Medal - The Long Journey

How long did I talk about retiring before I actually did it? It was two years actually. So my goal was to retire after 2012. That would have given me four Olympic Games, which would have been the most for a high hurdler. Unfortunately, I got injured a month before the US trials and just wasn't able to recover in time. And so anyway, I went on to compete in 2013 and it really wasn't quite the same. And then I decided at that point I would give indoors of 2014 a try and decided at that point that that would be it. So I did run, actually won the Mule Rose Games in 2014 and then went on to the US Championships. I got third by I think six one thousandths of a second, finished with a bronze medal. And so that was my very last race. My very last race ended with me getting a medal. And so I said, you know, the irony behind that. So I started my career getting a medal in 2000 and ended my career getting a medal in 2014. So that's how it went. That's the long and the short of it.

I planned to retire after the 2012 Olympics, but I got injured one month before the U.S. trials and was unable to compete. I competed in 2013, but didn't have the same success. I ended up competing through 2014, where I won a medal at the US Championships and that was my last race.

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I talked about retiring for about two years before actually doing it. My initial plan was to retire after 2012, which would have allowed me to participate in four Olympic Games, a record for a high hurdler. Unfortunately, I got injured a month before the US trials and couldn't recover in time. However, I decided to continue competing in 2013, but it just didn't feel the same. It was then that I made the decision to give indoor competition in 2014 a try and ultimately retire after that. In 2014, I won the Mule Rose Games and went on to the US Championships where I finished third by an incredibly small margin of six one thousandths of a second, securing a bronze medal. That race became my last ever competition, ending my career on a high note with a medal. The irony of starting my career with a medal in 2000 and ending it with a medal in 2014 is not lost on me. That's how it all played out - the long and short of it.

Did you have a preference between the indoor 60m hurdles and the outdoor 110m hurdles?

Indoor vs. Outdoor Hurdles: Olympic medalist reveals surprising preference

Did I have a preference between the 60m indoor hurdles and the outdoor 110 meter hurdles? I had a lot more success. I think in the 60 meter indoor hurdles as I was a two-time world champion and core American record holder at the time. In the 110 hurdles, I did break the coveted 13 second marker and I got my Olympic medals in that event. If I had to actually given preference, it would probably be indoors just because I didn't have to continue with the The elements. It was always a nice temperature. You didn't have to worry about the wind or anything like that, but I love both events. Very, very much.

I preferred the 60m indoor hurdles as I was more successful in that event and didn't have to worry about outdoor elements.

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Did I have a preference between the 60m indoor hurdles and the outdoor 110m hurdles? I found more success in the 60m indoor hurdles, where I became a two-time world champion and held the American record. However, I did break the coveted 13-second mark and won Olympic medals in the 110m hurdles. If I had to choose, I would lean towards the indoor event because I didn't have to contend with outdoor elements. The temperature was always pleasant, and I didn't have to worry about wind or other factors. That being said, I loved both events equally.

How has track and field impacted your life outside the sport?

Track and field: A platform for mentoring and influencing lives beyond the sport

How has track and field impacted my life outside of the sport? I think track and field gave me the opportunity to use a platform to help others just within the community, to give my experiences and my expertise a way to kind of get in certain doors. I think it gives me, it still gives me the opportunity to mentor people, to help people, to have an influence on people, younger people. I'm actually a coach now, so I'm able to pour into my athletes more so than just from the X's and O's, if you will, of track and field, but kind of help them navigate through some of the things of their life. So I think that track and field gave me that platform to be able to use my knowledge and wisdom that I've gained over the years to help others.

Track and field has given me a platform to use my knowledge and wisdom to help and mentor others in my community. As a coach, I am able to pour into my athletes on many levels, not just limited to the X's and O's of track and field.

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Track and field has had a significant impact on my life beyond the sport. It has provided me with a platform to make a difference in my community, leveraging my experiences and expertise to open doors and offer guidance. Through track and field, I have the opportunity to mentor, help, and influence others, particularly younger individuals. As a coach now, I can pour into my athletes not just in terms of the technical aspects of track and field but also support them in navigating through life's challenges. Track and field has given me a platform to share the knowledge and wisdom I have acquired over the years for the benefit of others.

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Terrence Trammell is a retired American track and field athlete. He was the silver medalist for the 110-meter hurdles at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, and a three-time silver medalist for the World Championships. He was born in Atlanta, GA and trained with his high school coach Napoleon Cobb. Trammell attended the University of South Carolina and was the 1999-2000 NCAA Champion Indoors and Outdoors. In 2008, he qualified for the Beijing Olympics but had to pull out of the competition after injuring his hamstring in the preliminary rounds. He retired in 2015 and was elected to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2021. He currently coaches at Pace Academy in Atlanta.