Ever since her Paris Olympics win, Tara Davis-Woodhall has been at the center of all track and field conversations. Apart from being the terrific athlete that she is, she has also been a prominent voice when it comes to discussions about the mental health of athletes, giving her fellow athletes strength by opening up about her own struggles.

On top of that, she has not been one to mince her words while expressing her disagreement with some of the developments in the sport. Case in point: Michael Johnson‘s Grand Slam Track. More recently, she was brutal in her criticism of abusive coaching, urging athletes to realize something crucial.

Tara Davis-Woodhall wants athletes to take the reins 

Recently, the artist Michael James Schneider shared a post on his Instagram feed. The post by the artist read, “Change is hard, but staying somewhere you don’t belong will literally destroy you.” The words resonated with many, and among them was Tara Davis-Woodhall.

Supporting the statement, Davis-Woodhall shared the post on her own Instagram story and wrote, “Because this isn’t talked about enough…leave the mentally abusive coaching situation. This is YOUR career not theirs. And coaches, athletes are humans too.” Concerns like this are becoming quite common in today’s scenario. The lives of athletes are mostly controlled by others rather than themselves, and Davis-Woodhall thinks it’s time a change was set into motion. 

It’s not just Tara who has been vocal on the concerning issue of mental health in sports. Her husband Hunter Woodhall was also one to experience the turmoil as a Paralympic athlete. Other than the couple, some of the leading sports stars like Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, and Lewis Hamilton have been vocal about their mental health struggles. 

It is important to remember that it was not just Tara Davis-Woodhall, the high jumper, who publicly criticized the menace that is mentally abusive coaching. It was also Tara Davis-Woodhall, the coach.

Tara Davis-Woodhall’s coaching experience

After her Paris Olympics stint, the jumper took up a new role as an assistant coach at Arkansas State University. Now that her aspirations of becoming a mentor have come true, it’s time for Tara Davis-Woodhall to embrace a new lifestyle and get an in-depth understanding of the nuances of mentorship. But she is confident that her own experiences will help her become the right mentor to the up-and-coming track and field stars. 

“I think it’ll help me become a better athlete in my own right. I also just want to be someone that I needed in college. Injuries, depression, parents divorcing, and transferring schools. I went through so much that I feel like I have some knowledge and experience that will help me be a mentor.” 

Since she is just 25, Tara’s students won’t be much younger than her. But Tara thinks that it will only help her to understand her students better: “I’m not that much older than the students and can relate to what they’re going through.”  How do you think Tara Davis-Woodhall will fare as a coach? How will her coaching experience help her evolve as an athlete? Let us know in the comments.