Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall reflect on their viral gold medal moment in Paris

MANHATTAN, Kansas (WIBW) – The pinnacle of athletics now lives in Manhattan, Kansas.

2024 Olympic long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall and her husband, 2020 Paralympic bronze medalist Hunter Woodhall, are the newest members of the Wildcat family.

Both were coached for years by K-State's new athletics director, Travis Geopfert, and when coach Geopfert took the job in Manhattan, he brought Tara in as an assistant coach.

Although he will not have an official coaching title, Hunter plans to be a frequent participant in the program.

Tara left the Paris Olympics with her first Olympic medal: gold in the long jump.

Her moment of victory went viral. When she realized what she had done, she fell backwards into the sand and then ran straight to her husband in the stands.

The couple told 13 Sports what they were feeling at that exact moment.

“I took a second and then I stood up and the whole crowd was still cheering for me. And I was like, oh my God,” Tara said. “I immediately spotted Hunter and I ran over to him and gave him a big hug and he gave me a big hug and yelled that I was an Olympic champion. And that was the first time I had ever heard that.”

“To understand everything Tara has been through over the last eight years that we've been working on this, but really the last two years. Just so dedicated, so engaged and just all the decisions and sacrifices she's made for this exact moment,” Hunter said. “It was just, it was really emotional.”

Hunter will attempt to win his second Paralympic medal at the Paralympic Games in Paris later this month.

The two said they have followed Coach Geopfert everywhere and are happy to be welcomed into K-State Nation.

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