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It was a hug seen ‘round the world: After winning gold in the women’s long jump final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Team USA star Tara Davis-Woodhall ran into her husband Hunter Woodhall’s waiting arms for a joyous embrace, where he proudly told her, “Babe, you’re the Olympic champion!”
The moment quickly went viral — not that Davis-Woodhall has been paying attention.
“I haven’t been on social media that much, so I don’t know how viral it’s gone!” the track and field star, 25, tells PEOPLE at the Team USA house. “Everyone’s been telling me the whole world’s been seeing it, [but] that’s just Hunter and I. He’s my biggest supporter, and I guess the whole world got to see how much he supports me.”
Now, with a gold medal sitting pretty around her neck, it’s Davis-Woodhall’s turn to support him. Woodhall, a double-amputee sprinter, is set to compete in the Paralympics, which begin on Aug. 28.
“We’re going to go home for 13 days, pack it up, get some more training in for Hunter, and we’re gonna be back. The party continues,” she says. “It doesn’t end here.”
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Though it can sometimes feel like the attention focused on the Olympic Games can wane by the time the Paralympics begin, Davis-Woodhall says she’s taken it upon herself to make sure the Paralympics get just as much love.
“I’ve been telling everyone that — watch the Paralympics! It’s going to be a special show,” she says. “Team USA is coming with a vengeance, and we’re going to dominate this year.”
Woodhall, 25, is a track and field star with one silver and two bronze medals to his name. The athlete, who married Davis-Woodhall in 2022, was born with fibular hemimelia, a condition that prevents the lower limbs from developing properly, and had his first amputation when he was 11 months old.
The day after his wife won gold, he shared a sweet post on Instagram celebrating her achievement.
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“No words to describe how proud of you I am. No luck involved, you earned this. Discipline, work ethic, and grit. These are the moments and this is your moment. Soak it in ❤️,” he captioned a photo of the couple posing in front of the Eiffel Tower.
The journey to the top of the Olympic podium was a long one for Davis-Woodhall, who finished in sixth place in the long jump at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
“It honestly fueled me for now, and first place was an option, and I wanted that,” she says of falling short in Tokyo. “I’m so stoked, I’m so excited. I can’t believe I actually did it. It’s pretty surreal.”
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.
