cosmo sports tara davis woodhall cover

Welcome to Cosmo Sports, our new series where we get unprecedented, all-day access to some of the most influential names in collegiate and professional athletics. We capture a full day in their lives to give you a deeper sense of who they are, not just what they do.

Maybe you’ve seen the video. Maybe you’ve watched it on loop, in fact. Maybe your face scrunched up to halt the looming emotions you were feeling. And if you’re like me, maybe you relented to them without hesitation, silently wiping away the I’m-so-happy-for-this-complete-stranger tears while watching at your desk on a Thursday afternoon. If you were even remotely tapped into the 2024 Olympics, you know exactly what I’m talking about. But if you haven’t seen this video of Tara Davis-Woodhall and her husband, Hunter Woodhall, it’s required viewing.

It went like this: Tara realizes she’s the Olympic champion in long jump at the 2024 Paris Games. Mouth agape, she throws her arms out to her side and free-falls into the pit, making celebratory sand angels. She gets up and leaps into the stands and into the arms of her husband, Paralympian Hunter, while he’s screaming, “Baby, you’re the Olympic champion!” his face red and damp from tears of unfiltered joy, pride, and gratitude.

The moment between the “Golden Couple,” as Tara and Hunter have lovingly been dubbed because Hunter also won gold in the Paralympics, went ultra viral. (And it’s still going triple platinum in their household; a picture from the moment hangs in their Kansas home). With her winning 7.10-meter jump (which is just over 23 feet!), Tara became only the fourth American woman to ever secure gold in the long jump. But like any good sports story, this moment was made sweeter thanks to the journey that led up to it.

tara washing her face in the morning

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Tara finished in sixth place in the long jump, and at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, she came in a crushing second place. “I was this close to winning and on the final jump, I got it taken away,” she remembers. “I was like, Ugh, that hurt. You can’t let that happen again.” She told herself she “wanted to put something out there so far that no one could touch it.” Then came the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon—the meet that determined whether or not she made Team USA and would go to Paris. During the competition, which took place roughly a month before the 2024 Olympics, she scratched two of her three jump attempts and understandably almost freaked out. But she gathered herself, locked in, and qualified based on the final jump alone. Ultimately, these challenges, specifically those at Trials, helped her in Paris. “I struggled so much that at the Olympics it was just freedom,” she says. “It was the easiest competition ever mentally and physically, and I had a great time.”

Now, Tara’s just getting going in a new track and field season and is adjusting to donning the title of Olympic Champion at meets. She jumped in her first competition since Paris at the end of April, and she and Hunter got to do so as newly appointed Nike-sponsored athletes. “I think our 17-year-old selves are pinching themselves—they’re like, “No way! This is so insane,” she says.

She was also recently announced as the newest addition to Athlos, the all-women track and field league in New York City started by Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian (aka Mr. Serena Williams). It debuted in fall 2024 with stars like Gabby Thomas running and Megan Thee Stallion performing, and it brought in more than 3 million worldwide viewers—yet, it didn’t have any field events. Tara will change that when the event comes back to New York on October 10, fulfilling part of her mission to transform and advance track and field. “I just want this sport to be elevated back to where it used to be,” she says. “Track and field is one of the hardest sports, and it’s such an individualized sport that it makes it even better. I’m trying to change it and let people see it and put a different scope on what track and field is and share the many inspiring stories it has to offer.”

quote by tara daviswoodhall about winning the olympics

When Tara and I chat on a late evening in early May, I feel that same lovable spunk she’s become known for even through the pixelation of a Zoom screen. Her energy is infectious in an endearing chaotic-good kind of way (for example, in her first competition of 2025, she was doing cartwheels down the field in between events), but it’s perfectly balanced with a steady sense of self and self-belief that has been intentionally cultivated through regular positive affirmations, journaling, and therapy. It’s one thing to cement yourself in sports history, but capturing—and even changing—the hearts and minds of literal millions in the process is a skill all its own.

Below, we reflect on her big win, what manifesting that moment looked like for her (an angel number was involved!), being a dog and plant mom, her go-to wellness habits, the impact of her and Hunter’s love, and so much more.

Does it still feel like Paris happened yesterday?

It does! It’s crazy how long it’s been already. And jumping last weekend for the first time since then was weird, especially to be jumping as the reigning Olympic champion. It’s a weird season of life and I’m just trying to get used to it. It’s all been a good and cool change, especially for the opportunities and doors that have opened for me and Hunter. And it’s been a change that we’ve been looking for in our sport. But I always say that between our four walls, nothing has changed—it’s just elevated us, and we found a new purpose in what we’re doing now.

Say more about that.

Just Hunter and I as a couple. I feel like sometimes when people become more recognized, I feel like they start to disappear in their relationship and start focusing on other things, whereas we’re focusing on our relationship more and trying to be stronger as partners. I feel like it’s the opposite for some people.

Another change was that you and Hunter just competed for the first time as Nike athletes. Tell me about that moment.

It was a dream come true. I can’t believe that we’re officially Nike-sponsored athletes. We’re ready and back in training. We’re ready to change the innovation of track and field for the Para sport and for long jump [Editor’s note: Hunter recently posted on Threads saying that they just “got a bill passed in Arkansas that forces insurance to cover secondary prosthetics, and many other states are following!”]. I feel like long jump is lacking in technology, where it’s all developed in sprints, and then same for Hunter’s blades. There’s not as much innovation as there needs to be as time is changing.

tara davis woodhall

Take me back to that last jump in Paris when you already knew you were the champion. What was going on in your mind while heading down the runway?

I was just holding myself to calm myself down because I was like, You’re gonna be fine. You’re already the Olympic champion. Just go out there and jump. You are the reason this competition is about to end, so finish it. I was listening to the crowd scream and roar and I realized I had the chance to have them on my hands. So I clapped up the crowd in my clapping ways and it was just so loud and deafening.

I remember a commentator saying after that jump, “She’s been talking about this all season.” Obviously, training and preparation are key, but do you also believe in manifesting?

Dude, listen to this: I see “8:08” all the time. Then I found out the Olympics were on 8/08 [August 8], and I was like, Whoa, that’s weird. So every time after that when I saw “8:08”—now it’s “4:44”...weird—I would say, “That’s the day I’m going to win the Olympics.” Morning and night, anytime I saw it. Then I would write it down, write it down, write it down. I found out I competed in the finals at 8 o’clock at night. The day of the competition, I was going seventh, and usually if you win your prelims, you compete last [in the eighth spot]. So I was like, What the heck, why am I not last? That’s how it’s supposed to be. But it was whatever. The competition starts at 8 p.m. on the dot and each competitor has one minute to jump. I'm the seventh jumper. I was like, I really want to see “8:08” when I’m out here, but again, I was like whatever. Bro, at 8:07, I’m on the runway, and I was like, Hey, lock in. I take off, I jump, and that is the 7.10m [winning] jump. Fast-forward, I win the competition—woo!—and then I’m at home going through pictures, and I was like, “Freak! I didn’t get to see ‘8:08’ today, Hunter!” And that’s the day I won the Olympics! Then I’m scrolling and there’s a picture, and in the background, it says 20:08 [in military time]—which is 8:08 p.m.—and I’m in the air.

Wait, that just gave me crazy chills! So…are you going to get “8:08” tattooed or something?!

Maybe! I’ll probably get, like, an infinity sign and play with that somehow.

That would be dope! I still get misty like someone’s cutting onions anytime I see that video of Hunter cheering you on when you’re jumping. What was it like for you when you saw that?

He’s like that at every competition. It’s funny because people saw him at the Olympics but didn’t see him at the Olympic Trials or at the meet in the south of Spain—we’re always like that. It just happened to be captured on a 4k, 8k resolution, 120 frames then posted for the whole entire world to see. I was reading the comments and some people were saying, “This is how men should be treating their women” and I was like, Wait, they’re not? Some men aren’t celebrating their wives like this? Like, you guys aren’t giving your wives their flowers like this?

I absolutely love that you know nothing about that reality.

Like, that really sucks. I’m lucky. I’m blessed. It was almost like a wake-up call for some people. They’re like, “Oh, this is how we’re supposed to be treated.” I was at some conference and this husband came up to me—he was probably in his 60s—and he told me, “You make me want to love my wife more.” I was blown away. To capture and impact someone’s mindset—from a video—is crazy to me in the best way. Love is crazy.

tara's daily to do list

That’s so beautiful. What’s it like working with your spouse in these contexts? You two are business partners, teammates, training partners, but do you guys ever prioritize one dynamic over another depending on the setting?

In everything, we’re teammates. It’s easy being husband and wife and business partners because we can wear the different hats and we both know what’s going on, but everything we do is partner-based and teamwork-based. It’s incredible. I’d much rather do all of this with him. We both know how the other is feeling, where the other’s mental load is, how much one of us can show up. It’s your film partner, your accountability partner, it’s everything in one. And it’s the most amazing thing ever.

Outside of Hunter being your support, you’ve always been vocal about your therapist and mental health journey. Are there any takeaways or mantras that your therapist has given you that you carry into competing?

Leading up to the Olympic Trials, I was meeting with her pretty frequently. She told me, “When you get stressed in a moment, I want you to breathe in what you want and exhale what you don’t want.” I didn’t know where or how I would ever use that, but at the Olympic Trials, I was on my second jump and I scratched. I was like, Uh oh. I can definitely freak out and start crying and panicking, but if I do that, it’s done. So I need to stay calm. I talked to my coach and got guidance from him, then I started journaling and I wrote, “Breathe in confidence, exhale fear.” When it was my time to jump again and I was on the runway, I said, “Breath in confidence, exhale fear,” and I took a deep breath out, and I went and I jumped, and I made it to the finals and then the Olympics.

I love that you mentioned taking a second to journal in that moment. When did you start that practice?

I’ve been journaling on and off for years. I just never knew what to journal. I would find prompts or journals that are prompted journals or just try to do journals myself. I have so many journals all over the place that I started and never finished. But once I started to learn, I was like, Oh, I just journal what I’m thinking or what I’m feeling or literally whatever—it doesn’t have to make any sense. I got really, really locked in on journaling in 2023 once I started journaling my workouts, my thoughts, how I’m feeling throughout workouts, all those things. Then I would bring it home, and I would start journaling at-home stuff and so then I would have two separate journals. So in 2024, I was always in a journal. But this year, I’m trying to get back into my habit of journaling. When you have to do something for so long, like track, you kind of get burnt out. I was so hyperfocused last year that I just needed a break. But I’m coming back into the groove of my habits and routines.

Outside of journaling, what are some other wellness habits you rely on?

My to-do lists. That’s something I do every single day. I have journals and pages of old to-do lists just to keep me afloat. Things like: feed the dogs, do the laundry, do the dishes, clean the kitchen, mop. Things are crossed off so I can keep on going or I’m just gonna sit down. Just sit down and scroll. I would much rather run off vibes, but the world would not go round. Things in this house would not get done.

tara

quote by tara davis woodhall

That’s real! Our photographer mentioned that you have a ton of plants too. Is that something that’s big for you mental health wise?

Yes! I have so many plants. I’m glad I’m home for a second so I can give them all of my attention and care. I’ve been gone so they’re not doing too well. They’re my babies, and I’ve neglected them for a little bit, but they’re everywhere! Keeping something alive in that way is so cool and watching it grow is so inspiring for me. Like, when I’m able to propagate something and make it grow from me cutting it off and then cranking it and then watch it? Ugh! I’m walking around my house right now and looking at all the dead, wilting plants asking for help, and I’m like, I can’t do it right now.

Do you talk to your plants and have names for them?

Yes, I started. I have my first favorite plant, Cleetus—he’s a pothos. I got him in 2018 or 2019. I just looked at him, and he needs some water. But now I have so many plants, it’s too hard to keep up with their names.

tara and hunter

Now it’s time for the fun rapid-fire questions. Describe yourself as a dog mom in three words.

Where! Are! You!

That’s incredible. Favorite junk food.

Raising Canes.

The song you can’t get out of your head.

Umm. *sings* “If I die young, bury me in satin.” I’ve had that song stuck in my head for two months. I haven’t even heard that song—it’s just stuck.

One thing that makes you feel powerful.

A good-fitted uniform.

TikToks or YouTube Shorts.

I would say TikTok because I’m on there more, but once I’m on YouTube Shorts, I’m stuck.

Most famous person in your contact list?

*gasps* I’m supposed to out myself like that? Hunter! Woodhall!

tara and hunter at home

Iconic. Comfort movie or TV show.

New Girl.

The last thing you bought that you were really excited about.

My car!

Oooh, what kind?

A black Range Rover. White on the inside!

Gorgeous. At this very moment, what do you see as the headline of your life?

*sings “Moment 4 Life”* “In this very moment, I’m king!” What’s the headline of my life? These puppies that I have to take care of!