Hunter Woodhall
Hunter Woodhall running with the American Flag after winning the race.
There are always going to be setbacks in an athlete’s career, but it's almost impossible to imagine succeeding in sports without the use of your legs. The powerful muscles used to help run, jump, dance, and balance would all be gone, thus forcing you to relearn everything. For Hunter Woodhall, however, this is everyday life; this challenge never was an obstacle for him, for he took his amputation and turned it into motivation to work hard and succeed.
Early Life:
Shortly after being born, Woodhall was diagnosed with Fibular Hemimelia, a congenital condition that causes the fibula to either be missing or malformed. Some cases of FH can be treated with surgery, but in Woodhall’s case, the doctors felt it was best to amputate. At the young age of 11 months, Woodhall had both of his legs amputated below the knee. Woodhall grew up in Syracuse City, New York where he was homeschooled up until the 5th grade. He would attend public high school and quickly joined the track team to be around his friends.
Early Career:
Immediately after joining the team, Woodhall felt at home. He started to train seriously so that when people clapped for him it was for his skill instead of his legs. His hard work and determination manifested in accolades and awards throughout his career: Hunter broke 2 state records, garnered 5 state titles, and represented the US at worlds as a sophomore. Despite his amputation, he never let anything hold him back.
At first, his college career was looking grim, with little to no offers from colleges he feared he might not get the chance to show his skills; however, there only needs to be a single yes in a sea of no’s. The coach at the University of Arkansas offered Woodhall a position on his team, thus making Hunter the first double amputee to ever have a full DI scholarship. Woodhall would thrive in collegiate competitions with multiple PRs and be honored with All-American all four years of his career.
Paralympic Career:
Woodhall competed in the 2016 Rio Paralympics, taking home both bronze and silver in his events. In the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, he won bronze. Going into this previous year’s games, he had his eyes on the prize. After training consistently for months on end, he ran in the 400m race and won gold with a resounding time of 46.36 seconds. This would be his first Paralympic gold medal, but he is a contender to continue looking out for in the future.
Hunter Woodhall at his medal ceremony.
Tara Davis-Woodhall:
Hunter’s gold medal isn’t the only prize he took home, for he also found himself surrounded by TikTok fame due to his wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall. Tara is also an Olympic athlete who took home gold in Paris, and their love story recently blew up on social media. The pair met in 2017 at an indoor athletic event but began to grow closer after attending the Arcadia Invitational Meet that same year. They would begin dating and eventually marry; now they have a YouTube channel together named “Tara and Hunter” which offers viewers a glimpse into their lives and training as high level athletes.
Tara and Hunter embracing after Tara won gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics for long jump.
Conclusion:
Hunter Woodhall is an athlete of the ages and a testament to overcoming obstacles. It would be easy to throw in the towel and accept that you may never be as talented as those around you, but he chose to work hard and rise above the competition. Many athletes should look to him as an example of wanting results and working to get them, no matter the difficulties you may face in the process.
Sources:
Dilkoff, Dimitar. “Hunter at Medal Ceremony,” AFP, 2024, www.channelstv.com/2024/09/07/hunter-woodhall-wins-first-paralympic-sprint-gold/.
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“Hunter Woodhall.” Www.teamusa.com, 25 May 2023, www.teamusa.com/profiles/hunter-woodhall-863917.
“Hunter Woodhall | Challenged Athletes Foundation.” Challenged Athletes Foundation | Changing Lives through Sports, 28 July 2021, www.challengedathletes.org/athletes/hunter-woodhall/.
“Meet the Paralympian: Hunter Woodhall | NBC Olympics.” Www.nbcolympics.com, 22 Aug. 2021, www.nbcolympics.com/news/meet-paralympian-hunter-woodhall.
Paris. “Paris 2024: Hunter Woodhall Claims First Gold Medal at Paralympic Games.” International Paralympic Committee, 2024, www.paralympic.org/news/paris-2024-hunter-woodhall-claims-paralympic-gold.
---. “Paris 2024: Hunter Woodhall Wins Gold in the Men’s 400m T62 🥇.” International Paralympic Committee, 2024, www.paralympic.org/video/paris-2024-hunter-woodhall-wins-gold-men-s-400m-t62. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
---. “Paris 2024: Meet the Woodhalls, the Olympic-Paralympic Power Couple.” International Paralympic Committee, 2024, www.paralympic.org/news/paris-2024-woodhall-olympic-paralympic-couple.
Pitone, Melanie. “Fibular Hemimelia (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth.” Kidshealth.org, Mar. 2024, kidshealth.org/en/parents/fibular-hemimelia.html.
Smith, Patrick. “Tara and Hunter Embracing,” Getty Images, www.theknot.com/content/tara-davis-hunter-woodhall.