Tara Davis-Woodhall once considered quitting. Battling depression and body image issues, she faced dark moments that nearly derailed her career. But on Thursday, she stood victorious at the Paris Olympics, etching her name in history with a gold medal in the long jump. The crowd at Stade de France witnessed a moment of redemption as the 25-year-old poured everything into her performance, bouncing back after last year’s World Championship disappointment.

“I tried so hard to just keep on being positive this year and keep on being motivated,” she said, holding her Olympic gold. In an interview with USA Today, she reflected on how her constant motivation turned into manifestation, which eventually became her reality. Now, proudly calling herself an Olympic gold medalist, Tara Davis-Woodhall is driven by this achievement as she looks toward future success.

From a ‘dark phase’ to Olympic gold, Tara Davis-Woodhall’s prowess

Tara Davis-Woodhall captured Olympic gold in the long jump at the 2024 Paris Games with a stunning leap of 7.1 meters (over 23 feet), leaving her competitors behind. After her victory, she expressed gratitude, saying, “I’ve been dreaming of this moment for so long, even since I was four years old. I’ve gone through hell and back. I’ve faced everything you could imagine.” CITIUS MAG captured the moment on X, sharing, “I think @tar___ruh has a new lucky number 🎱 The newly crowned Olympic long jump champion had a lifelong dream come true with her 7.10m winning leap.” This victory, forged through grit and perseverance, solidified Davis-Woodhall’s place among the greatest long jumpers ever.

Woodhall also highlighted the significance of the moment, noting that she jumped at 8 p.m. on August 8th, 2024, embracing the “8-8-8” moment as a sign of divine blessing. Her victory, achieved through sheer determination against the sport’s elite, cemented her place among the greatest long jumpers of all time. Davis-Woodhall exploded out of the starting block with a prodigious leap of 22 feet, 9 inches to seize an early advantage in the opening round. However, her initial domination was temporarily challenged by American Jasmine Jones, who led with an impressive jump of 22-10.

Undeterred, Davis-Woodhall reasserted her dominance in the second round with a vault of 23-1 3/4. Still unsatisfied, she pushed herself even further in the third round, achieving a monstrous leap of 23-3 1/2 that secured her place at the top. Despite the valiant efforts of all challengers, none possessed the experience and hunger of defending Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo of Germany. With technique and poise beyond her years, she effortlessly floated through the air to pull within striking range at 22-10 3/4. While her skill could not be questioned, the prodigious heights continuously set by Davis-Woodhall tonight proved too steep a mountain to summit, and Mihambo was left to watch in admiration as first place remained eternally out of reach. 

“It’s been a very long journey,”– the new Olympian said to The Orange County Register, further continuing, “I’ve overcome so much to get to this point and I don’t think I realize right now I’m the Olympic champion.” The surreal moment left her choking back tears as she stood tall after her outstanding landing. When she realized she had won, she smiled at the stadium crowd. “I just couldn’t keep it together, I was screaming in my head,” she proudly told Reuters. This victory, years in the making, marked the culmination of Tara Davis-Woodhall’s redemption journey to the Paris Olympics.

The redemption journey of Tara Davis-Woodhall to the Paris Olympics

The former Agoura Hills prodigy had suffered numerous setbacks, including injury and personal mental struggles, but she persevered to stand atop the medal podium in Paris. Not long ago, she was a lost soul shrouded in gloom, struggling to imagine reaching this day of glory in Paris—a place far removed from the prison of her mind. “I honestly didn’t make myself to make it to 24, 25,” she confessed, doubting whether she could survive beyond her mid-twenties while drowning in depression’s dark embrace.

In addition to the infectious smile the crowd saw at the final, Davis-Woodhall shared her battle with mental health issues and depression. In 2020, while at the University of Texas, she said she felt really bad, staying in her room for almost a week and finding it hard to get out of bed. “Mentally, I was in a dark place,” the new Olympian said at a media roundtable in New York earlier this year. Her sadness made her doubt everything, including whether she wanted to continue the sport she had loved since she was young. After moving from Georgia to Texas, Davis-Woodhall faced further challenges with the COVID pandemic and a broken back. “Had a lot of depression. I did not want to be here,” she said, expressing the depths of her struggle before the Olympics in an interview with The Orange County Register.

In the same interview, she shared that one of the major contributors to her depression was her parents’ divorce. She revealed how her coach at the University of Georgia, Petros Kyprianou, was initially annoyed by her sadness. While she suffered from persistent back pain, her coach dismissed it as just a muscle spasm. Later, she was diagnosed with a fractured vertebra. Despite these constant hurdles, Tara Davis-Woodhall once wanted to quit but ultimately declared, “Olympic gold has always been my dream. Little Tara, you freaking did it.” Her journey from despair to triumph is truly inspirational.