Tabarie Henry

It was a long and rough road to the most recent Olympics in London for Tabarie Henry, and it all began at Hallandale High School in Hallandale Beach, Florida to which he transferred from Miami Norland. There, academic problems blocked him from running outside of district, regional, and state series meets. However, he remembers the day his mom and coach went to the school board to appeal his case, and he was cleared to run; he suddenly gained his freedom to pursue his dream and hit the ground running.

As a high school senior in 2006, Henry finished second in the State 3A 400 in 47.11secs, and in the summer of 2006, won the 400 title (46.73) at the USA Youth Championships and was the runner-up in the Nike Outdoor Championship, setting a 400 national junior record of 46.51.

With that behind him, Henry tells youngsters to stick with it in the classroom because “without a degree you are nobody in today’s society.”

He took his own advice, going the junior college route from Barton County Junior College in Kansas to Texas A&M University, where he contributed significantly to the school’s taking of the team titles at the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships. In the process, he bypassed the opportunity to become a professional athlete immediately after Barton. He graduated in 2013 with a degree in Ag Leadership.

But back in 2008, Henry’s career dream turned reality when, as a native of St. Thomas, he competed in the 400m for the U.S. Virgin Islands at the Beijing Olympics. He clocked a new personal best time of 45.19, but failed to reach the finals. The following year in 2009, he made it to the World final in Berlin and placed fourth. He reached another World final two years later in Daegu and placed 7th.

Henry was chosen to be the flag bearer for the U.S. Virgin Islands at the London 2012 Olympics, an honor he said he was blessed to have.