Tara Davis and Hunter Woodhall have been thriving in the spotlight at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the athletes’ love story started with humble beginnings when they met at a high school track meet in 2017.
From their initial meeting to managing a long-distance relationship during college, Davis and Woodhall have faced numerous challenges and demands of competitive sports. Through consistent communication, trust and mutual respect, they have stayed together, eventually marrying in 2022 and competing on the world stage for the second time at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Davis is known for her achievements in the long jump and hurdles, while Woodhall has earned acclaim as a Paralympic medalist. Born with fibular hemimelia, which led to the amputation of his lower legs at 11 months, Woodhall has set new records and inspired many with his resilience and determination.
Their relationship is marked by unwavering support and shared goals, witnessed by many as viewers tune in to the couple’s YouTube channel that showcases their life as a couple and as professional athletes.
Here’s everything to know about Tara Davis and Hunter Woodhall’s relationship.
Davis made the first move
While Davis grew up in Texas and Woodhall in Utah, the couple met across state lines in February 2017 at a track meet in Pocatello, Idaho. Both high school athletes at the time, Davis approached Hunter and embraced him.
“I stepped onto the track and said, ‘I don’t know why I have to do this, but I have to give you a hug,’ ” Davis told Town & Country in August 2024. “And that was the first time we talked.”
For Woodhall, he remembered thinking, “I’m gonna marry that girl,” the athlete said in a YouTube video reminiscing on their first encounter.
They started dating in 2017
After their initial meeting, Davis and Woodhall followed each other on social media, stayed in touch and officially started dating that summer in June 2017.
Although they both started college at different universities that fall — Davis at the University of Georgia before transferring to the University of Texas, and Woodhall at the University of Arkansas — they stayed together through the distance, per Town & Country.
They balanced their long-distance relationship with communication and trust
Although Davis and Woodhall remained together throughout their respective college experiences, the distance wasn’t always easy, and required consistent effort from both athletes to make it work.
“We balance our long-distance relationship by having communication, trust and patience,” Woodhall told Elle in July 2021. “Over the past four years, we learned how to communicate and operate as a couple.”
The athlete added that there have been “countless situations” where each had been at fault, but they “learned from those lessons” and continually work to “grow [their] relationship.” Davis shared that they always try to empathize and listen to the other side of the argument. “We try not to tell each other how we should feel,” she explained.
While the Arkansas-based pair are no longer doing long distance, they still work on communicating and prioritizing their relationship amidst the demands of being professional athletes.
“One of the things that’s really important is understanding how to communicate on both sides,” Woodhall told PEOPLE in June 2022. “Understanding that we’re doing the same things and we have the same goals, it’s going to take both of us to motivate and push each other to the next level.”
They’re both Olympic athletes
Hunter Woodhall of Team United States poses on the podium at the medal ceremony for the Men’s 400m on day 10 of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games on September 03, 2021. ; Tara Davis of Team United States reacts while competing in the Women’s Long Jump Final on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on August 03, 2021.
Carmen Mandato/Getty ; Abbie Parr/Getty
In 2021, Davis and Woodhall embarked on a significant milestone as a couple and individual athletes by competing in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
“This will be [Woodhall’s] second Paralympics, but for me, it was my dream. It was my Olympic dream. That’s my dream,” Davis told PEOPLE in August 2021. “And to experience at a time and be a couple that are Olympians is just insane.”
Davis placed sixth in the women’s long jump, and Woodhall won a bronze medal in the men’s 400-meter dash. The duo supported each other throughout the competitions on the track and social media.
“You deserve this more than anyone, and I am so grateful I get to watch you create your legacy. TOKYO HERE WE COME!” Woodhall posted on Instagram in June 2021 when Davis made the team at the Olympic trials.
Now, the pair are back on the world stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Davis competes in the women’s long jump and Woodhall in the Paralympic sprints.
“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,” Davis told E! News in August 2024. “It’s going to be a special moment for sure.”
While Davis and Woodhall are supportive and encouraging of their respective talents on the track, they also exercise a healthy mix of feedback to help each other improve. Woodhall told the outlet that if one of them had a particularly successful practice, they “hype each other up and build confidence” as well as “cue some of those things that [they] could continue to work on.”
“We both are so educated in the sport, we can also coach each other,” Davis added.
They married in October 2022
Tara Davis celebrates with Hunter Woodhall on day nine of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials on June 26, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon.
Steph Chambers/Getty
After getting engaged during a romantic getaway in Mexico in September 2021, Davis and Woodhall wed on Oct. 16, 2022, at D’Vine Grace Vineyard in McKinney, Texas.
Surrounded by about 200 family members and friends, the couple exchanged vows in a ceremony officiated by Woodhall’s teammate, Trenten Merrill. The couple’s two dogs, Milo and Winnie, served as ring bearers.
“This has been such a dream,” Davis told PEOPLE in October 2022. “Ever since we started dating, Hunter and I have talked about getting married. We truly saw each other for the rest of our lives and this is just so surreal. We’ve hit so many milestones together and this is the biggest one.”
In a joint Instagram post in October 2023, the duo commemorated their first wedding anniversary.
“This past year has gone by so fast, we’ve learned so much within each other but also within the foundation of marriage,” the caption read. “One year down, a lifetime to go.”
They share their lives on YouTube
When Davis and Woodhall are not competing on the field, they post on social media to connect with fans.
The two share their experiences as a couple and professional athletes on their YouTube channel, giving their nearly 800,000 subscribers an intimate first look at training sessions, personal milestones and details of their relationship.
In a video posted in August 2024, they vlogged the days leading up to Davis’ first competition at the Paris games, “We’re at our Second Olympics. Together this time.,” emphasizing that while it’s their second Olympic stint, it’s the first they can cheer for each other on the stands without COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
“Last time at the Olympics we weren’t able to be together but everything is different now,” the video caption reads. “We get to watch and support each other.”
They push each other to be their best
Tara Davis-Woodhall of the United States celebrates her silver medal win with Hunter Woodhall after the Women’s Long Jump Final during the World Athletics Championships on August 20, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary.
Tim Clayton/Corbis/Getty
Whether celebrating personal victories or facing challenges, Davis and Woodhall aren’t shy about motivating each other.
When Davis finished in sixth place at the Tokyo Olympics, Woodhall shared on Instagram his appreciation and support for his wife’s achievements as an athlete and individual.
“To compete at the Olympics is one thing, to be disappointed at finishing 6th in a world filled with 7 billion people is another. It shows how driven you are and how motivated you are to be the best,” he wrote, adding, “You are my hero.”
In July 2024, when Woodhall set a new American Record in the men’s T62 400-meter race, Davis shared a heartfelt post on Instagram, celebrating his resilience and athleticism.
“This season you have worked so hard to be the best version of Hunter Woodhall you could be! Time and time again you have overcome challenges that many athletes or humans have never faced,” she wrote. “You are the definition of inspirational.”
