Tara Davis-Woodhall immediately ran over to celebrate with her husband, Hunter Woodhall, when she won gold in the women's long jump event on Aug. 8.
Leaping 7.10 meters to a win, Davis-Woodhall bested defending champion Malaika Mihambo of Germany after Davis-Woodhall previously finished sixth in Tokyo.
Davis-Woodhall smiled wide as she made her last jump before she was photographed hugging her hubby and fellow athlete Woodhall, whom she married in October 2022.
When asked how it felt to have him and her family in the stands as she secured her first Olympic gold medal, Davis-Woodhall told TODAY's Craig Melvin on Aug. 9 that it meant "everything" to have them there.
"Hunter and I train every single day together. We eat, breathe, sleep every single day and man, running into him, it felt so good," she explained. "I couldn't believe it, and he just reminded me that I am the Olympic champion and we worked really hard to get to this moment. It was all worth it."
The athletes, both 25, first met in 2017 when they attended the same track meet in Idaho. Woodhall, who was living in Utah, and Davis-Woodhall who was residing in California, both found each other attractive from the jump, the couple shared in a 2018 YouTube video.
Shortly after, they started dating. They qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2021 — Davis-Woodhall in the women’s long jump and Woodhall in Paralympic sprints. Woodhall was born with a condition called fibular hemimelia and shared in a 2024 essay that his lower legs were amputated when he was 11 months old.
In Tokyo, Woodhall won bronze in the men’s 400-meter dash T62 classification, and Davis-Woodhall placed sixth in the women’s long jump event.
The Paris Summer Games arrived nearly two years since they tied the knot.
“I’m just so pumped that he gets to come watch me andthat I get to go watch him and be in the same area for a month-and-a-half of pure grind mode, Olympic mode. This is what we’ve been working on. And this is what we’ve been waiting for. Andit’s going tobe a special moment for sure," Davis-Woodhall recently told "E! News" in an interview.
Read on for a timeline of Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall's relationship.
2017: Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall meet
Davis-Woodhall and Woodhall first met at a track meet in Idaho when they were both in high school. At the time, Woodhall was living in Utah and Davis-Woodhall was residing in California.
In a 2018 video they posted on YouTube, the couple said they both found each other attractive the first time they laid eyes on one another.
Woodhall said he remembers thinking, “I’m going to marry that girl.”
2018: They start dating
After meeting at the track event, Davis-Woodhall made the first move by DMing Woodhall. They chatted on social media for a few months before connecting again at another track event. In June 2017, Woodhall was training in California and hung out with Davis-Woodhall, leading to their first kiss.
Their long-distance relationship continued in college as Woodhall went to the University of Arkansas while Davis-Woodhall went to the University of Georgia, before transferring to the University of Texasher sophom*ore year.
In a 2021 interview with Elle, Woodhall recalled how they made their early long-distance relationship work.
“We balance our long-distance relationship by having communication, trust, and patience. Over the past four years, we learned how to communicate and operate as a couple. We have had countless situations where we had done badly on both sides, but we learned from those lessons and genuinely want to grow our relationship," he said at the time.
2021: Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall compete at the Tokyo Games
The Tokyo Summer Games were the first time that Woodhall and Davis-Woodhall competed in the Games together.
“This will be his second Paralympics, but for me, it was my dream. It was my Olympic dream. That’s my dream,” Davis-Woodhall told People shortly before she and Woodhall competed in the Games. “And to experience at a time and be a couple that are Olympians is just insane.”
“I have so much pride competing for this country. And I think it gives us an ability to show who we are, show what we represent, which I hope in turn would reflect what we see this country to be,” Woodhall added.
At the Paralympics, Woodhall won bronze in the men’s 400-meter, and Davis-Woodhall placed in 6th in the women's long jump event.
Although she didn’t win any awards, Woodhall took to social media to celebrate his then-girlfriend.
"I cannot express how proud I am of you... To see what you did yesterday motivates me more than you know. To compete at the Olympics is one thing, to be disappointed at finishing 6th in a world filled with 7 billion people is another. It shows how driven you are and how motivated you are to be the best. This is only the beginning and it will add fuel to the fire for whatever is next," he said in his caption, in part.
At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Woodhall won silver in the men’s 200-meterdash T44 and bronze in the men's 400-meter T44.
September 2021: Hunter Woodhall proposes to Tara Davis-Woodhall
In September 2021, Woodhall announced that he and Davis-Woodhall got engaged in a sweet post he shared on Instagram. The post included pictures of him popping the question.
He wrote, "To my future wife, I promise to always be there for you. I promise to always provide for you. I promise to always love you. You make me a better person and I can’t imagine a life without you. Thank you for trusting, supporting, and loving me the last 5 years. here’s to the rest of our lives. P.S. the last pic is my relief from getting a yes haha."
October 2022: Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall get married
On October 16, 2022, Davis-Woodhall and Woodhall got married. The ceremony occurred at D’Vine Grace Vineyard in McKinney, Texas.
“This has been such a dream — ever sincewe started dating,Hunter and I have talked about getting married,” Davis-Woodhall told People. “We were for real about it, we truly saw each other for the rest of our lives.”
August 2024: Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall compete at the Paris Olympics
After years of training, Davis-Woodhall and Woodhall are headed back to the Summer Games.
“There’s less uncertainty and more confidence going in and excitement,” Woodhall told "E! News" of their mindset going into the Games. “This is the first year that we’ve been able to stand behind the goals that we have and really verbalize them.”
The women's long jump event kicked off Aug. 6, and Davis-Woodhall qualified for the finals.
Before the competition, Woodhall penned a sweet tribute to his wife on Instagram.
"Tomorrow you contend for the Olympic Title," he said Aug. 7. "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."
On Aug. 8, Davis-Woodhall ended the competition at the top of the podium to win the gold medal.
After hugging her husband, she donned a cowboy hat and wore an American flag around her shoulders.
The Paris Paralympics start Aug. 28.
Peaco*ck is streaming the Paris Olympics around the clock.Learn more about accounts here. TODAY earns a commission on purchases. Peaco*ck is owned by our parent company NBCUniversal.
Joyann Jeffrey
Joyann Jeffrey is a trending news reporter based in New York City
