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One month ago a photo captured the love, pride, and delight of two Olympic champions: Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall. When Davis-Woodhall won her gold medal in the women's long jump, her husband was trackside to celebrate by her side, as shared by Team USA:
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Now, a few weeks later, the roles were reversed. This time as Woodhall sprinted to victory to claim his first ever Paralympic title in the men’s 400m T62 final, he got to run straight to his college sweetheart's open arms to celebrate. A moment that brought smiles to sports fans, and/or to people who just can't resist a beautiful love story.
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The couple has been together since 2017 when Davis-Woodhall met her husband-to-be at the track. They managed to navigate a long distance relationship while they both went to different colleges to develop their athletic careers. Woodhall attended the University of Arkansas where he made history becoming the first double-amputee to get a Division I track and field scholarship.
Woodhall, who underwent a below the knee double-amputation at the age of 11 months due to fibular hemimelia, shared with Team USA his thoughts on the couple's success:
"I definitely don't think either of us would be at the level we're at without the level of support that we provide for each other, as well as the team that surrounds us. As far as the success, it's super motivating because we do the same things every day -- it's just a vote of confidence knowing that we're doing the right things together."
A combined effort
As reported in CNN, the new champion also explained how his wife's performance had inspired him:
I know that we do the same things, we train together, we eat together, we recover the same way. Seeing Tara go out there and absolutely dominate, it gave me such confidence to say I know we’ve done the same thing, and she’s able to go out there and do that then I know I’m capable of doing the same thing.”
Woodhall also recognized that for his wife, her win was not complete until he'd managed to win his coveted gold, too. As he shared: "It takes somebody who is really genuine and thoughtful to be able to do that and such a sacrifice and such a humility, I’m really grateful."
Their recipe for success
Off the track the couple lead a decidedly simple life, one of appreciation for each other. And perhaps it's something that could inspire all couples, whether they're Olympic and Paralympic champions, or not.
Me and Tara, we could sit on the porch and watch sunsets every day, we love just being around each other, spending time together, we just work together. We communicate so much and we know that neither of us are perfect but we know that we make each other better. We just have a lot of fun."
