Friday, November 22, 2024

Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall share what’s next after winning golds in Paris — including 2028 plans

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Tara Davis-Woodhall and her husband Hunter Woodhall are down for another Summer Games.

The couple, who have been married since October 2022, spoke about their future plans with TODAY Sept. 7 — the day after Woodhall won his first Paralympic gold medal during the men’s 400-meter T62 race. 

The Paralympian’s win comes almost exactly one month after his wife earned her first-ever Olympic medal, taking home the gold Aug. 8 during the women’s long jump.  

During their joint appearance on TODAY, Davis-Woodhall described the experience of watching her husband win the gold as “so surreal,” adding, “I can’t believe it’s all over now.”

“That moment is going to live in my head forever,” she said.

Woodhall also discussed having an “advantage” when competing as married athletes.

“This sport can be really challenging. You’re all on your own. You’re racing by yourself, but just having somebody else with you who understands the sacrifice that needs to be made and understands the time commitment that it takes is really incredible,” he explained.

As for whether the couple plans to compete in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, the answer was a clear yes.

“Oh yeah, baby, we’re coming home,” Woodhall said, as Davis-Woodhall added, “Absolutely.”

In an interview with TODAY.com Sept. 7, Woodhall opened up about the “exciting new four years on the horizon” to prep for the next Games.

He said their coach, Travis Geopfert, was recently named the director of track and field and cross country at Kansas State University. The couple will be joining him in Manhattan, Kansas, and Davis-Woodhall will serve as an assistant coach.

“It’s definitely going to freshen things up for us in the next four years,” Woodhall said. “Should be a new challenge and something exciting, a new scenery. So as far as training goes, nothing will change. But where we’re training and some of our processes will change a little bit. We’ll just build on this year.”

The 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics proved successful for the couple, who both took home their first gold medals. They became fan favorites on social media for their relationship, as clips of the them cheering for and celebrating with one another went viral. 

Hunter Woodhall of Team USA celebrates with his wife Tara Davis-Woodhall after winning the gold medal.Marco Mantovani / Getty Images

Since the end of the 2024 Olympics, athletes have been weighing in on whether they will be competing at the 2028 Games.

“You know, you never say never,” Simone Biles told TODAY in August. “The next Olympics is on home turf. So you just never know. I’m just going to relax and see where life takes me.”

Katie Ledecky, who broke the record for most gold medals by any American female swimmer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, opened up about her plans for 2028 during an Aug. 5 appearance on TODAY.

“When I first started swimming, I never thought I would even go to one Olympics, so to have gone to four now, it’s incredible and I would love to compete in L.A.,” she said. “I’m going to take it year by year. (I) got to see where I’m at each year, but it would be a dream to compete in front of a home crowd.”

Sprinter Gabby Thomas, who took home three gold medals in Paris, revealed on TODAY that she plans on training for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. However, she said she’ll enjoy some recovery time first.

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