Hunter Woodhall’s Paris Paralympic campaign started slowly with a sixth-place finish in the Men’s 100m T64. However, the Team USA track and field star turned it around, sprinting to a gold medal finish in the Men’s 400m T62. While it took him two Olympic Games, Tara Davis-Woodhall’s husband finally realized his golden dream. However, his story could’ve been very different.

In 2015, the then-high schooler was preparing for the National Junior Disability Championships. However, the athlete’s excitement turned into dismay when he couldn’t find his prosthetic legs. Woodhall realizes too late that he shouldn’t have kept his running blades unsupervised on a New York Subway train’s overhead compartment.

“The one thing that’s with me every day is those legs,” the Paralympian told the Associated Press. However, after posting about the incident on social media, Hunter Woodhall’s prosthetic legs mysteriously returned to their owner. “Whoever had them probably had them for three days and now we’ve got them back,” Woodhall told the Standard Examiner.

However, the double amputee was “not sure what happened” as police had already searched the lost and found where his prosthetics appeared. Despite their effort, the authorities couldn’t pinpoint the one who stole the blades. However, the Paralympian was glad to put the ordeal behind him to re-focus on competing.

Hunter Woodhall would’ve suffered a huge blow if they had not been found. However, you may be wondering why the athlete couldn’t arrange for another pair of running blades. According to Deseret News, a new pair of running blades cost around $20,000 in 2015. Besides the financial blow, molding the housing to specifically fit the Paralympian would’ve taken weeks.

Besides the immense cost and waiting time, Woodhall was also familiar with his blades. He knew how they behaved, while it would take time to familiarize himself with a new pair of blades. The athlete’s statement after finding his trusty pair of prosthetics only added weight to the argument.

“They see all the successes I see, they kind of are part of me in a way… So it has a lot of sentimental value to me,” the Paralympic gold medalist told Associated Press. The following year, Hunter Woodhall made a successful Olympic debut, winning bronze in the 400 m T44 event. Since then, he’s never looked back.

Hunter Woodhall’s heartfelt tribute to a late family member

Hunter Woodhall got off to a solid start in the 400m finals. However, the sprinter conserved his energy before unleashing it on the final stretch. The 25-year-old sealed his victory with about 50m left in the race, as he left Germany’s Johannes Floors and Dutchman Olivier Hendriks far behind. As the stadium erupted in cheers, Woodhall seemed to channel Noah Lyles’ energy, taking off his name tag and holding it up to the camera.

However, Hunter Woodhall’s name tag had a special tribute. “This one is for you,” read the scribbled message on the opposite side of the name tag. In a touching gesture, the track star dedicated his gold medal-winning effort to his late uncle Wyatt Woodhall. The Paralympian’s uncle lost his battle with cancer in May and never got to witness his nephew realize his dream.

After the heartfelt tribute, the golden boy ran to his wife. Tara Davis-Woodhall and her husband embraced one another, brimming with emotion. It was a mirror image of how Woohhall embraced his wife after she won Olympic gold in the long jump. So, from potentially suffering a massive blow to his track and field career to winning 400m Paralympic gold, Hunter Woohall has come full circle.