Watch how Paralympic runner tearfully cheers for his wife as she long jumps to Olympic gold
People have fallen in love with Tara and Hunter Woodhall's beautiful love story.
The Olympic Games have always been about more than just sports. Every Olympics, we get to hear about people's personal journeys, their trials and triumphs and other aspects of their lives.
For track and field athlete Tara Davis-Woodhall, that journey includes the sweet love story of how she and her husband, Paralympic runner Hunter Woodhall, fell in love.
Tara won Olympic gold in the long jump on August 8, 2024, and the first thing she did after making celebratory sand angels in the pit was run and leap into Hunter's arms. The moment was caught on film and photo, and people loved seeing how excited both of them were to celebrate together.
"You're the Olympic champion!" Hunter yelled as he lifted Tara up off the ground.
“It was such a relief and a ‘finally’ moment,” Davis-Woodhall 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.”
Watch how Hunter cheered for her before, during and after her gold-medal-winning jump, tearing up as the crowd clapped for her:
Hunter, a three-time Paralympic medal winner, was born with a congenital birth defect called fibular hemimelia. At 11 months old he underwent a double amputation, losing the bottom half of both legs. He went on to become a track star in Utah, running on carbon fiber blades, then became the first double amputee to earn a Division-I track and field scholarship when enrolled at University of Arkansas for the 2017-2018 school year, according to USA Today.
Tara and Hunter met at an indoor track and field meet in Idaho in 2017, when they were both still in high school. Tara noticed Hunter when he was warming up for the 400m as she was warming up for hurdles, and she said, "Oooh, who's that?" At the time, she didn't know Hunter didn't have lower legs, as he was wearing sweatpants.
Hunter noticed Tara, too, and told his friends that she was the girl he was going to marry before they even talked. It was love at first sight.
They started dating long distance and their relationship only grew stronger. They competed in the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021 and got married in October 2022. They even took wedding pictures with their dogs. Talk about winning at life.
People love the Woodhalls' vlogs where they share tidbits from their daily life, their training and their competitions. And that post-gold medal video isn't just a one-off. Hunter is Tara's biggest fan and supporter in every competition. This was just from early July 2024:
@tara These are the moments ✨🇺🇸@Hunter Woodhall
People love the Woohalls' love story.
"This is one healthy relationship She is free to be so vulnerable with him and he delivers. 🔥🔥🔥"
"Oh to be married to your best friend and biggest supporter. 🥰
"I’m DONE SETTLING. I love how she can be so vulnerable without being judged."
"I won't settle for less than this kind of love, respect and support😭😭😭."
"Green flags everywhere."
"That hug made me cry, that boy loves you so much!"
"Everyone deserves a partner like this ❤️❤️ this is so beautiful."
"The love these two have for each other is amazing! Proud that both represent the USA! 🇺🇸 ❤️🤍💙"
You can follow the adorable Woodhalls on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
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