Miami sprinter won Olympic gold. City Hall helped her dad fly to Paris
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When Olympic sprinter Twanisha "TeeTee" Terry won her first gold medal Friday in the women's 4x100m relay, her dad was there to cheer her on.
- Antwan Terry, a Miami Beach city employee, received a $5,500 gift from the City Commission to help cover his trip to Paris.
Zoom in: Terry, whose daughter attended Nautilus Middle School and Miami Northwestern, told Axios from Paris that he had already planned to fly to the Olympics, but he was grateful to the city for the financial support.
- The longtime parks employee, now serving as acting supervisor over north end park maintenance, said the city also surprised him with a going-away party.
- "It was over-the-top. At the end of the day, you don't see employers doing what they did."
How it happened: Word got around City Hall about Terry's Olympic connection after one of his co-workers emailed city officials asking them to recognize TeeTee's achievements.
- This was the 25-year-old's first Olympic Games.
- Commissioner Laura Dominguez heard Terry's story and proposed a resolution awarding him money for the trip.
What they're saying: Dominguez said the commission provides financial support to numerous nonprofit groups and community causes, so she wanted to support a city employee with a unique connection to the Olympics.
- "It wasn't for TeeTee; it was for her humble father who has worked for the Parks Department, and this is a way to say thank you for something unusual and special that has occurred and doesn't happen often."
"We do have almost a billion dollar budget — this amount is just a small drop to help an employee," she told Axios.
Zoom out: The city's gift to Terry isn't its only Olympics-related expense: Commissioners also voted last month to approve a $10,000 grant sponsorship for Miami-based skeleton racer Jared Firestone.
- Firestone is raising money to represent Israel in the Winter Olympics in 2026.
- "These are relatively small expenses that improve our brand image and support peaceful connections among nations," Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez wrote in a text message to Axios.
- Both expenditures came from the city's general fund.
What's next: Dominguez said she would love TeeTee to visit Miami Beach schools and speak to students about her Olympic journey.
- Firestone, the Winter Olympics hopeful, visited summer campers this week and will feature Miami Beach's logo on his equipment during competitions.