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 Stade de France in Paris, she sprinted toward the stands to leap into the arms of her husband, Hunter Woodhall.
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“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 was just looking into his eyes and I didn’t know where I was. I almost blacked out for a second and he just made the moment so much more special.”
It’s among the most memorable scenes to emerge from the 2024 Paris Olympics, and once again shined a spotlight on a heartwarming track and field relationship that has all the makings of a movie someday.
Woodhall is a double amputee runner with three medals in the past two Paralympics – and designs on earning his first gold medal at this month’s 2024 Paralympics in Paris. After Davis-Woodhall made headlines in Paris, here’s what else you should know about Woodhall’s inspirational story and a marriage Team USA’s website declared to be “track and field’s power couple.”
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Where is Hunter Woodhall from?
Woodhall was born in Cartersville, Georgia because of 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 fibular hemimelia in which the fibula bones are either partially or completely missing. When Woodhall was 11 months old, his parents made the decision to amputate both of his legs in order to improve his quality of life long term.
Where did Hunter Woodhall go to college?
Woodhall broke Utah high school state records running on carbon fiber blades similar to the ones made famous by South African Oscar Pistorius at the 2012 Olympics. He then became the first double amputee to earn a Division-I track and field scholarship when he enrolled at Arkansas ahead of the 2017-18 school year. Woodhall finished his career at Arkansas as a four-time, first team all-American competing against non-disabled runners in the 4×400-meter relay.
“I wasn’t going to be seen as just someone with a disability,” he told Sports Illustrated in 2017. “I was going to be seen as an athlete. I knew that’s the only way I was going to change that perception was to become the best athlete possible, to become the most competitive athlete.”
Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall relationship, explained
Woodhall and Davis initially met at a 2017 track meet in Idaho, according to a YouTube video they put together explaining the origins of their relationship. They started dating by the end of their senior year of high school.
They continued in a long-distance relationship while Woodhall ran at Arkansas and Davis-Woodhall was at Georgia and Texas on a track and field scholarship. They 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.
The couple got engaged in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in September 2021 and got married in McKinney, Texas on Oct. 16, 2022, according to People.
“I want people to know we’re just two normal people,” Woodhall said in an interview with Archewell, the official website of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. “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 whoever you are, whatever situation you’re in … it’s okay 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 Paris Olympics.
“Tomorrow you contend for the Olympic Title,” he wrote. “I’m so humbled by you. You have battled through so much just to give yourself a chance. You’ve inspired so many with your authenticity. Showing it’s okay to struggle, it’s okay to not always be okay. Through everything you continued to fight for your dream. No one has worked harder. No one has been more disciplined. You inspire me every day to be great. Tomorrow is your moment. Enjoy every bit of it. You are ready.”
Hunter Woodhall’s Paralympics accomplishments
Woodhall won a silver medal in the 200m T44 and a bronze medal in the 400m T44 at the 2016 Paralympics while still in high school. He followed it up with another bronze medal in the 400m T62 at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. He also has six world championship medals to his credit.
Woodhall is scheduled to compete in the 100m and 400m T 62 events at the 2024 Paralympics, which are set to begin on Aug. 28 in Paris. He set personal bests in both races at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials last month in Miramar, Florida.
Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall on social media
The two runners have an ample social media following and their own YouTube channel. Woodhall’s story became mainstream ahead of the 2020 Paralympics through a TikTok video he produced about how he became a double amputee. It eventually garnered almost six million views and drew the attention of Ellen DeGeneres. She had Woodhall on her show and chipped in $20,000 to help finance his Paralympic dreams.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Hunter Woodhall, husband of Tara Davis-Woodhall at Paris Games?
