Tara Davis-Woodhall had just won an Olympic gold medal in the long jump and, after an initial celebration that included sand angels in the sand pit at the Stade de France in Paris, sprinted to the stands to jump into the arms of her husband Hunter Woodhall.
“Oh my God, baby,” Woodhall said to his wife. “You’re the Olympic champion.”
“It was such a relief and a ‘finally’ moment,” Davis-Woodhall later told NBC. “I just looked into his eyes and didn’t know where I was. I almost blacked out for a second and he just made the moment so much more special.”
It is one of the most memorable scenes of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and it once again highlights a heartwarming relationship in athletics that has the makings of a movie.
Woodhall is a runner with two amputated legs who has won three medals at the last two Paralympics – and plans to win his first gold medal at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris this month. After Davis-Woodhall made headlines in Paris, here’s what else you should know about Woodhall’s inspiring story and a marriage that was dubbed “track and field’s power couple” by the U.S. track and field team’s website.
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Where does Hunter Woodhall come from?
Woodhall was born in Cartersville, Georgia, due to his father’s military service, but grew up in Syracuse, Utah.
How did Hunter Woodhall lose his legs?
Woodhall, 25, was born in 1999 with a congenital birth defect called fibula hemimelia, in which the fibula bones are either partially or completely missing. When Woodhall was 11 months old, his parents decided to amputate both of his legs to improve his long-term quality of life.
Where did Hunter Woodhall study?
Woodhall broke Utah high school state records by running on carbon fiber blades similar to those made famous by South African Oscar Pistorius at the 2012 Olympics. He then became the first double amputee to receive a Division I track and field scholarship when he enrolled at Arkansas before the 2017-18 school year. Woodhall finished his Arkansas career as a four-time first-team All-American, competing against able-bodied runners in the 4×400-meter relay.
“I’m not just seen as someone with a disability,” he told Sports Illustrated in 2017. “I’m seen as an athlete. I knew the only way I could change that perception was to become the best athlete I could be, the most competitive athlete.”
The relationship between Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall, explained
Woodhall and Davis met at a track and field competition in Idaho in 2017, according to a YouTube video in which they explain the origins of their relationship. They began dating at the end of their senior year of high school.
They continued a long-distance relationship while Woodhall ran in Arkansas and Davis-Woodhall was in Georgia and Texas on a track and field scholarship. Both competed in Tokyo in 2021. Davis finished sixth in the long jump at the Olympics, while Woodhall took home a bronze medal in the 400m at the Paralympics.
According to People, the couple got engaged in September 2021 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and married on October 16, 2022 in McKinney, Texas.
“I want people to know that we’re just two normal people,” Woodhall said in an interview with Archewell, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s official website. “We bring a lot of diversity into our relationship and we want to be really transparent about that. Tara is a woman of color. I have a disability. We want people to know that it’s OK, whoever you are, whatever situation you’re in… and that’s what makes you special and unique.”
Woodhall also posted a touching message to his wife on Instagram ahead of the long jump competition at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“Tomorrow you will be competing for the Olympic title,” he wrote. “I am so proud of you. You have gone through so much just to give yourself a chance. You have inspired so many with your authenticity. You have shown that it is OK to struggle, that it is OK to not always be OK. Despite everything, you continued to fight for your dream. No one worked harder. No one was more disciplined. You inspire me every day to be great. Tomorrow is your moment. Enjoy every moment. You are ready.”
Hunter Woodhall’s Paralympic achievements
Woodhall won a silver medal in the 200m (class 44) at the 2016 Paralympics and a bronze medal in the 400m (class 44) while still in high school. He won another bronze medal in the 400m (class 62) at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. He also has six world championship medals to his name.
Woodhall is scheduled to compete in the 100m and 400m T62 events at the 2024 Paralympics, which begin in Paris on August 28. He set personal bests in both races at the US Paralympic Team Trials last month in Miramar, Florida.
Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall on social media
The two runners have a large following on social media and their own YouTube channel. Woodhall’s story became known before the 2020 Paralympics through a TikTok video in which he recounted how he had both legs amputated. The video eventually garnered nearly six million views and caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres. She invited Woodhall onto her show and contributed $20,000 to fund his Paralympic dreams.
