2024 Olympics- Inside Track Stars Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall's Plan to Earn Matching Gold
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At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, track power couple Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall ran away with the hearts of sports fans worldwide. But this go-round at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the athletes hope to capture a little something extra.
"Everyone's main goal when they go to Olympics is to win Olympic gold," long jumper Tara told E! News as she she and husband Hunter sat down for an exclusive interview ahead of the Games.
And though she left Tokyo with a sixth-place finish, she predicted, "the way that we have changed our focus this year and how much our practice means more than the meet, it's going to be a very, very special moment for both of us."
Even more special, perhaps, than the last few years that saw the couple, both 25, compete separately in Japan (thanks to the intense restrictions put in place to ensure the COVID-delayed Games could even take place, they weren't able to watch each other), get engaged weeks later in September 2021 and marry in fairytale-like Texas vows the following October.
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"In Tokyo, I was optimistic of like, 'Yeah, I want to win the gold medal,'" explained Hunter, who won bronze in 400m T62, bringing his total Paralympic medal count to three. "But this year, I know I have it within myself to win. I know I can be the best. And I know that I have made every right decision—and I speak for Tara as well—that whatever the result ends up being at the Games, I didn't leave anything on the table."
And so if someone does outpace him this summer, "They were just better than me on that day," he continued. "And that's that. So I can go in with a confidence that I'm just going to give it my best shot."
Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
For the Arkansas-based couple, that best shot looked like spending most of Monday through Saturday at the track, where they fuel up with amino acid-, salt- and lemon-juice spiked water (him) and her go-to of a beef jerky stick and a CELSIUS drink because, as she said, "we definitely need some caffeine to keep our energy going."
Working with their shared coach Travis Geopfert, they trade off sprints, block work and other technical training.
"It definitely makes it fun because I get to watch him while he goes," explained Tara. "And then he gets to watch me. So it's not that we're out of sort of what each other's doing."
Back at home with their pups Milo and Winnie, "We're so worn out, it's just straight to a hot bath or shower," said Hunter. Then they talk shop for a bit before settling in for a plate of pasta or steaks and sweet potatoes ("Meals after practice is where it's at," cracked Hunter, "we eat a lot") and their binge of the moment.
Currently, that's a mix of Syfy's Resident Alien and Tom Brady's The Greatest Roast of All Time, said Tara, joking, "We're embracing the uncomfortability, that's for sure."
Their nightly ritual of critiquing each other, though, is comparatively chill.
Though "it's taken some time," acknowledged Hunter, they now appreciate each other's views on their form.
"If one of us had a really good practice, we might sit all afternoon and just talk about how great it was," he explained. "One, just to hype each other up and build that confidence and excitement and then, two, to cue some of those things that we could continue to work on."
Courtesy of CELSIUS
And with so much on the line, they've gotten really good at pointing out each other's flaws. "We're both definitely open to criticism, because he sees stuff that I don't see it, I see stuff that he doesn't see," agreed Tara. "We both are so educated in the sport, we can also coach each other."
It's come in handy when their coach is unable to join them at meets, "So then he knows what I'm working on and I know what he needs to work on," explained Tara. "We know what needs to be said and done and how it should look."
But the gang will all be there in Paris.
After not being able to cheer one another on in Tokyo, "I'm so pumped," Tara said of reserving a trackside seat for each other's events. "I'm just so pumped that he gets to come watch me and that I get to go watch him and be in the same area for a month-and-a-half of pure grind mode, Olympic mode. This is what we've been working on. And this is what we've been waiting for. And it's going to be a special moment for sure."
With the 2020 Games, agreed Hunter, "We were just grateful that it was even happening. But now we're in a totally different mindset. We're totally different athletes and people than we were then. We matured a bit."
And with partnerships with the likes of CELSIUS and Lululemon—just some of the many brand deals they've inked since exploding both on the track and through their YouTube following—continued Hunter, "It allows us to have the ability to just focus on how do we be the best athletes we can possibly be and not have to worry about a whole lot else outside of that?"
Courtesy of CELSIUS
But they are still in their twenties.
And after getting the job done in France, they have big plans to say "oui" to whatever may come their way.
Once the Paralympics wraps Sept. 8, "October, November and December are going to be pretty chill," Hunter forecasted of their travel plans, including a trip with their Celsius team to see the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix in late November.
Having missed out on so much during the height of their season, "we really reserve these months outside of training to be 25-year-olds," noted Hunter. "Go have fun, celebrate and party with our friends."
Basically, chimed in Tara, "Whatever 25-year-olds do, that's what we're doing."
But first, noted Hunter, there's some work to be done, starting with the women's long jump qualifications Aug. 6.
Tara Davis-Woodhall/Instagram
"There's less uncertainty and more confidence going in and excitement," he explained of their shared mindset. "This is the first year that we've been able to stand behind the goals that we have and really verbalize them."
"Experience has a lot to do with it," he continued of his third shot at Paralympic gold. "And I think preparation has the most to do with it. And we're the most prepared we've ever been. So not to say we're going to win, but we really believe in ourselves."
And they're not the only pairs hoping for matching medals at the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics. Check out who else is making the competition a family affair.
2024 Olympics: Céline Dion Performs for the First Time in 4 Years During Opening Ceremony
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, track power couple Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall ran away with the hearts of sports fans worldwide. But this go-round at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the athletes hope to capture a little something extra.
"Everyone's main goal when they go to Olympics is to win Olympic gold," long jumper Tara told E! News as she she and husband Hunter sat down for an exclusive interview ahead of the Games.
And though she left Tokyo with a sixth-place finish, she predicted, "the way that we have changed our focus this year and how much our practice means more than the meet, it's going to…
2024 Olympics: Céline Dion Performs for the First Time in 4 Years During Opening Ceremony
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, track power couple Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall ran away with the hearts of sports fans worldwide. But this go-round at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the athletes hope to capture a little something extra.
"Everyone's main goal when they go to Olympics is to win Olympic gold," long jumper Tara told E! News as she she and husband Hunter sat down for an exclusive interview ahead of the Games.
And though she left Tokyo with a sixth-place finish, she predicted, "the way that we have changed our focus this year and how much our practice means more than the meet, it's going to…