What does it feel like to stand atop the highest step of the podium? Tara Davis-Woodhall could answer that for you. Three years ago, the 25-year-old punched her ticket to the Japanese capital with a record of 7.04 meters. But even though her maiden Olympic berth looked promising as ever, she could only muster up a sixth-place finish with a leap of 6.84 meters. However, this wasn’t good enough for the long jumper, and she decided to focus all her energy on the Paris Olympics.

It wasn’t an easy journey; she had been through a lot to claw her way to the top. But amid a raucous crowd at Stade de France, it all seemed to come together during the long jump finals. She would often encourage fans to clap along for her before she made every leap in the middle of the purple tracks. After all the hard work and training, the 25-year-old had finally redeemed herself from the 2020 Tokyo Games. However, as the dust settled on her stunning victory, the Olympian still hasn’t gotten used to one particular thing. What could it be?

Tara Davis-Woodhall pulls the curtains back on life after Paris

On November 7, the long jumper spoke to People Magazine about everything that’s happened after her dreaming Olympic stint. Tara Davis-Woodhall couldn’t believe that she was finally an Olympic champion, and she still has difficulty accepting that title. “It’s just still so freaking weird,” she admitted. The 25-year-old took on the role of a true showman at the long jump finals. After a series of exceptional jumps, her winning leap of 7.10 meters made her the fourth American to bag an Olympic gold in the event.

But the weight of that accomplishment is still fairly new to her. The long jumper continued, “It’s still so crazy to see a picture of me with a gold medal around my neck, or going to events and them saying Tara Woodhall, the Olympic gold champion.” She had the same feeling when the Olympian saw her name on the board. In fact, many still haven’t gotten over her celebration of falling back into the sandpit. How exhilarating was that to watch?

We know what you’re wondering. What does she do with her shiny Olympic hardware? As unconventional as it sounds, she carries it along with her wherever she goes. “Yeah, it goes everywhere with me. I’m sure it will have a home, a dedicated home in our office or something, but right now she just lives in my purse,” Tara Davis-Woodhall confessed. Representing the nation on the world’s grandest stage can definitely change one’s life, and it seems to have worked wonders for her. However, she did miss out on massive honor recently. What was it?

Despite gold medal, she’s out of the running for a prestigious award

One of the most iconic moments of the 2024 Paris Olympics was how the long jumper celebrated her maiden gold medal. No one will ever forget how she ran into her husband, Hunter Woodhall’s arms right after. But with the 2024 season done and dusted, the World Athletics had something exciting coming up.

On October 14, World Athletics announced the World Athletes of the Year nominees and Tara Davis-Woodhall was in the top 5 list. However, she didn’t make it past into the top 2, and graciously accepted her defeat by stating that she tried. Yet, she did take up the opportunity to congratulate Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Nafissatou Thiam who are still in the running.

Even though she doesn’t have a shot at the award, she was optimistic about coming back stronger next season. Now, if you expected the long jumper to kick back her legs for a bit, you would be mistaken. The Olympian is pumped up and will now focus on Los Angeles. However, it is special for more reasons than one. What could it be?

Tara Davis-Woodhall spent a considerable amount of time in the city from the age of 11 to 20. So, LA will always be a home for her. Paris might have been perfect for her first Olympic gold. But returning to her home turf as a defending Olympic champion would be as surreal as ever. Maybe that is all the motivation she needs to create the ideal home for many more Olympic medals in the future.