Where Are They Now? Katura Horton-Perinchief

In the moment, Katura Horton-Perinchief couldn't fully appreciate her history-making, barrier-breaking accomplishment.

Representing her native Bermuda, Horton-Perinchief became the first Black woman to dive at the Olympics at the 2004 Athens Games. The experience brought newfound attention from NBC cameras, unforgettable meetings with megastars like Venus Williams and Carmelo Anthony and a mountain of pressure for a 21-year-old determined to show she belonged among the world's best.

"I really did not think too much about it back then," said Horton-Perinchief, one of two GW divers to advance to the NCAA Championship along with Bobbie Ferraro ('91). "Obviously as I've grown older, I have grown to appreciate the importance of having representation that looks like you on the world stage. I've grown to understand the magnitude of what I was able to accomplish 16 years ago, but at the time, I was just trying to dive well and not embarrass myself or my country."

Horton-Perinchief made Bermuda proud with her efforts on the 3-meter springboard, and her continued appreciation for her Olympic breakthrough has led her to a life devoted to service on her home island, aided by a pair of GW graduate degrees.

Utilizing her master's of public health, Horton-Perinchief serves as manager of Bermuda's National Tumour Registry collecting and analyzing data to help cancer patients, while her experience in GW's executive MBA program sparked her to blaze a new trail with the creation of the Star Diving Camp.

Star Diving Camp, which just finished its seventh summer, allows Horton-Perinchief to share the sport she loves with youngsters on the island and make it accessible in a way that it never was before.

"It was really about changing the face of this sport and what people believe is possible and what kids see themselves as being able to do," Horton-Perinchief said. "It's really an honor and a privilege to be able to teach these kids. We get black kids, we get white kids, we get kids from private school, public school.

"It's really a place where these kids from different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different circumstances can come and feel that they're on an even playing field and that they belong to this family of divers. It's just been amazing to watch it come to fruition in front of my very eyes."

Horton-Perinchief never set out to make history.

Born in Sandys, Bermuda, and raised in Toronto, she competed with the Canadian Junior National Team before taking her training to the University of Texas under decorated coach Matt Scoggin.

Through her performance on the Olympic qualifying circuit, she landed the final spot in the field for the Athens Games.

Despite the stress, Horton-Perinchief found herself in contention for a semifinal berth before a missed dive on her fourth of five turns squashed her hopes of advancing. Still, her 30th-place finish out of 33 competitors proved her mettle while breaking new ground.

"Of course, I was the only little black girl in the pool (growing up), but it didn't occur to me it was a historical event until I got there and people started asking for interviews and asking how I felt about it," Horton-Perinchief said. "I don't even know that I had a poignant answer back then. Because I just really didn't think about it. I was very focused on being an athlete above all else."

Incredibly, Horton-Perinchief's GW story began only a few weeks before her turn on the Olympic stage. She'd graduated from Texas in three years and planned to start grad school that fall.

Just accepted into the Milken School of Public Health's master's program, Horton-Perinchief sent an email to former GW head coach Dan Rhinehart asking if she'd be able to use Smith Center Pool for training with an eye on the 2008 Beijing Games.

Rhinehart replied with a scholarship offer to use her final season of NCAA eligibility as a member of the Buff and Blue. It turned out to be a life-changing decision for Horton-Perinchief.

"Honestly, I could not imagine my life being where it is without the influence of GW and the opportunities that were presented to me," Horton-Perinchief said.

In Foggy Bottom, Horton-Perinchief relished a return to normal in a welcoming atmosphere after so much fanfare.

"It was really nice to get back into the swing of things after the Olympics," Horton-Perinchief said. "Everything felt calm. Getting back to school and getting back to the team environment was just really nice."

At Texas, Horton-Perinchief had made progress alongside a slew of talented teammates, but she'd never won an individual conference gold nor made the NCAA Championship field.

Horton-Perinchief did both with the Colonials. First, she swept both boards at the 2005 A-10 Championships en route to Most Outstanding Diver honors. Then, she clinched a spot at the national meet with a shining effort at the NCAA Zone A Championships in Annapolis, Md.

It was meaningful to help head diving coach Krista Irish win A-10 Diving Coach of the Year and a thrill to head to Purdue with Irish to close out her collegiate career at the NCAA meet.

"Krista did a great job of training me that whole year," said Horton-Perinchief, who stayed at GW the following season taking Irish's place as head diving coach. "I wasn't just maintaining a standard of diving. I was improving."

Injuries dashed Horton-Perinchief's dream of qualifying for the Beijing Games, but since returning to Bermuda about 12 years ago, she's continued to find ways to stay involved in sports and make a difference in her community.

For eight years, Horton-Perinchief served as head of the Athletes Commission within the Bermuda Olympic Association, using her international experience to help others with similar dreams.

Whenever possible, she's added her voice to the push for more athletic opportunities on the island, notably advocating for the construction of its first public aquatics facility as a member of the National Sports Centre Board of Trustees. After many years of lobbying, it was finally completed in 2013.

After earning her MBA through the GW School of Business' STAR (Special Talent, Access and Responsibility) EMBA program, Horton-Perinchief conceived of her diving camp to take full advantage of the new facility. She hosts six weeks of camp each summer, often bringing in friends from her career to act as guest coaches. The program has reached more than 600 kids to date, no small feat on an island with a population of about 64,000.

"It's been an incredible undertaking, but to see the way it's grown, it's a bit of a dream come true," Horton-Perinchief said.

Horton Perinchief has also established herself as a diving judge, earning a spot on the prestigious UANA Technical Diving Committee alongside the top officials from the U.S. and Canada. At the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru, she presided over the men's 10-meter platform event as head referee, a full-circle moment in her career after competing at the meet in 2003.

On top of all that, she's back in school pursuing her doctorate of public health. It's a way to continue to be a leader in the island's public health policy at a time when it's more important than ever amid the COVID-19 global pandemic.

To be sure, Horton-Perinchief's hectic schedule doesn't leave much free time, but she wouldn't have it any other way. The Olympic trailblazer is still making Bermuda proud.

"I think it's an athlete's mentality: It's not being busy if you love it," Horton-Perinchief said. "As I've grown older, I've learned to say yes to the things that are important to me. Diving is important, working with athletes, my public health career. The things that are important I make time for. Yes, I'm busy, but it doesn't feel like work."

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Where Are They Now? Katura Horton-Perinchief

Related Videos