Octavius Terry (born November 7, 1972) is an American former

hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

. He graduated from Creekside High School in

Fairburn, Georgia Fairburn is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States, with a population of 12,950, according to the 2010 census. Though it has a rich history of its own, the city is now a closely linked suburb of Atlanta, which lies just 17 miles to the ...

in 1991. He then went to

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

where he was the 1994 NCAA Champion in the 400 hurdles. The following year was his peak year, finishing third at the 1995 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, qualifying him for the

1995 World Championships in Athletics The 5th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden on 5–13 August 1995. This edition featured 1804 athletes from 191 nat ...

. He finished sixth in his semi-final race and did not advance to the final. That same year he was a representative at the

World University Games The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

where he picked up a silver medal. Two years later, he returned to the University Games, failing in the hurdles but winning a gold medal leading off the American 4x400 metres relay.

Personal life

In 2019, Terry and his life partner

Jamal Sims Jamal Sims is an American choreographer, executive producer, director. Career Since 2014, Sims has regularly appeared in ''RuPaul’s Drag Race'' as a choreographer and guest judge. His directorial debut, ''When the Beat Drops'', premiered on Lo ...

end their marriage.

References

1972 births Living people People from Fairburn, Georgia Sportspeople from Fulton County, Georgia Track and field athletes from Georgia (U.S. state) American male hurdlers African-American male track and field athletes World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade gold medalists for the United States Universiade silver medalists for the United States Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's track and field athletes Medalists at the 1995 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1997 Summer Universiade 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople LGBT African Americans Gay men {{US-hurdles-athletics-bio-stub