No Olympian can ever forget the hard work that went into winning a gold. And what happens to be even more unfathomable is throwing that medal! Well, Tara Davis-Woodhall seems to have done just that. There’s no forgetting the iconic moment when Tara Davis-Woodhall won her Olympic gold. As soon as she knew that she had won, she ran into Hunter Woodhall’s arms. And the world saw him say, “You’re the Olympic champion!”

And since that moment, the two have not taken a break from the headlines! In the months that have followed the Olympics, a lot has happened and a lot more has changed. But Hunter and Tara’s dynamic? May it be the Michael Johnson controversy or Noah Lyles’ questioning, the two have simply dealt with it all together and with grace. So why throw an Olympic gold at Hunter Woodhall?

After all the hard work, Tara Davis-Woodhall, callous with her Olympic medal?

Hunter Woodhall never imagined his first encounter with an Olympic gold medal would play out the way it did. So what happened? Not so long ago, Tara and Hunter took to their YouTube channel and posted a video. The title? “Life After Winning the Olympics.”It was a reflection on the challenges the two have faced since the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the same video, the two recall the moment Hunter came face to face with an Olympic gold.

As Hunter himself puts it, “Funny enough, the first gold medal that I ever held or touched was Tara’s.” And boy-oh-boy was Hunter Woodhall, struck with absolute awe! So much so that, “I asked her permission—like she’s my wife—and I said, ‘Do you think it’s all right if I touch the medal?’” Tara Davis-Woodhall was shaken by the question! So, instead of handing the medal over to Hunter, Tara decided to go the unconventional way.

As Tara herself puts it, “I literally threw it at him and said, ‘You got me this too, so here.’” That moment was not just banter. It was the culmination of a journey that the two had been on together. A journey that met its goal with Tara winning gold with a 7.10-meter long jump and Hunter winning the Paralympic 400m T62 event. But the journey was far from easy!

In the video posted, Tara gets candid as she says, “There were times when I was stuck in bed for hours, weeks, and days—I just did not want to get up.” And of course, Hunter had those days too! But what kept them going, as Hunter puts it, was asking, “What is the goal in mind? What is the end goal? That keeps us pushing.” And even if it was perhaps a bad day, Hunter and Tara would remind themselves that “there was something on the other side.” While this worked last year, that wasn’t always the case.

Despite having goals in mind, it hasn’t always been easy for the Olympic-Paralympic duo!

Noah Lyles recently hosted Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall on his Beyond the Records podcast. In the episode that came out subsequently, the two spoke about a rather difficult time in their lives. The 2020 Olympics were not the best season for Hunter or Tara. In 2020, Tara went on to jump 7.04 m at the Olympic trials and qualify for the Olympics. However, during the Tokyo finals, she could only jump 6.84 m, which placed her sixth. And for Hunter?

Well, Hunter went on to win a bronze in the 400m T62 event at the Tokyo Paralympics. It was a moment that hurt both of them. On Beyond the Records, Tara even went on to admit making “a pros and cons list for quitting” in 2021. Yes, quitting the sport she loves! However, the challenges were not just mental. Hunter and Tara had to go through logistical nightmares that plagued them.

Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall were in a grueling long-distance relationship. In fact, Hunter would drive 13 hours each way on weekends just to spend time with Tara. Yet, despite the support, the barriers in their sport were impossible to ignore! Despite Tara being an NCAA champion, “We couldn’t even get her into a Diamond League meet,” added Hunter.

However, the momentary lapses did not push them from the tracks. Instead, they aligned their lives with it. So it comes as no wonder that as of today, the two have an Olympic and Paralympic gold. So what’s next for the duo? As Hunter Woodhall puts it, “We’re coming for world records, baby!” Perhaps Tara Davis-Woodhall threw the medal, knowing full well that she was aiming for another.