Hunter Woodhall wins Paralympic gold, celebrates with Olympic gold medalist wife

[Music] Paris St Deni Hunter Woodhall leaned forward staring at the STD def front's Finish Line it was not your average race this was the moment of Destiny the result of years of unrelenting effort upon earning the gold medal in the men's t62 400 met Sprint on Friday wood Hall experienced a sudden relief from the weight of his trip as he crossed the Finish Line in 46. 36 second they couldn't have picked a better one this is my first gold and I've never won a major championship wood Hall said after the event he not only competed among the world's top par Olympic sprinters but he also won in the final Sprint leg wood Hall extended his lead over his competitors by closing the race effective follow USA today's coverage of the major people and stories from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris we discussed this race numerous times 25-year-old individual with two amputees stated I detailed my ideal running strategy for this race in my diary that's precisely how it ended as it would come down to the last 100 meters I planned to sprint out of the blocks quickly our a champion is made wood Hall faced several obstacles in his Ascent to the top ular hemimelia is a congenital disorder where the fibula bone is either absent or very short affected him from birth in order to enhance wood Hall's long-term quality of life both of his legs were amputated when he was 11 months old he went on to become a stellar athlete in high school and college setting several records and creating history in the process when he won bronze in the 400 m and silver in the 200 m ERS at the 2016 Rio paralympic games was his bra breakthrough Moment On The World State he added another bronze to his expanding collection in the 400 at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics but a gold medal was still missing Paris supplied the stage to finish the set and wood hall went above and beyond to take the top spot on the podium as a member of the USA 4X 100 Universal relay team he also took home a bronze medal wood Hall added I brought my journal in these past few days I've been writing I will win the Paralympics in there two times power Olympic gold medalist terara Davis Woodhall wood Hall's wife gave him the notion to start journaling Tara a fellow track star won Gold in the long jump at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris France with a leap of 7.11 M they make up one of the most captivating power Duos in sport among the many things Tara has taught me one is the value of journaling and self-affirmation wood Hall said she used to write in her notebook I will be the Olympic champion and I am strong and quick or the Olympics and I carried it along connected in a track competition their friendship evolved as their athletic careers develop despite attending two separate institutions wood Hall in Arkansas and Davis wood Hall in Texas they managed to weather the stresses of prestigious competition by remaining unwavering in their support of one another after being married in 2022 the pair continues to train together challenging one another to reach new Level Training alongside an Olympic gold medalist presents challenges wood Hall says he enjoys the pressure and enjoys it when the athlete runs next to him on the training block Tara is amazing wood Hall said she is my best friend trainer and accountability accomplice there have been many challenges over the past four years we have overcome them together despite being personal their bond is essential to their success at work they've been able to establish a support structure few athletes have thanks to their shared knowledge of what it takes to compete a highest level before her husband had an opportunity to get his own gold medal Davis Woodhall claimed she hardly ever glanced at or recognized her own as they will always be Champions the two may now wear them together for the rest of their lives Davis Woodhall said I mean I'm pretty sure we both wrote down our goals of paralympic gold and Olympic gold and we have not stopped working since then sincerely this has been the weirdest adventure of our lives and now it's our daily opportunity to see it as the track outside of the oval track wood Hall and Davis wood Hall are now recognized as inspirational voices a large audience has responded well to their cander about their experience including both the successes and the Difficult by providing Peaks into their preparation competition and personal lives on social media they humanized the realm of Athletics and gold medals thousands of young athletes have been inspired by their message of hard work and persistent however the couple's advocacy for more inclusiveness and representation in in athletics goes beyond simple motivation they have promoted diversity in sports and challenged outmoded ideas about disabilities via their platform regarding running for his supporters wood Hall said I think there's always always pressure to that is the only purpose of Athletics it hurts my heart it's difficult can never predict what will occur my goal however was to Simply perform for everyone who was rooting for me I was aware of how many people watch the Paralympics all I wanted to do was show them the Paralympics and our potential it had an incredible reaction together the wood Halls are expanding the definition of elite athletic their story continues to inspire a new generation of competitors both able-bodied and impaired as they prepare for upcoming Olympic and Paro Olympic Games