Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall are household names in the Olympics and Paralympics. And now, the power duo will start a new life at Kansas State University.
"I love a purple track,” Davis-Woodhall said as she strode across it. "I mean, I won gold on a purple track, so that was cool."
Davis-Woodhall took countless leaps of faith to get here.
"I wanted to put something out there so far that no one could touch, and that's the the energy I was channeling all season," she said.
It's how she won her Olympic gold medal in the women’s long jump at the recent Summer Games in Paris.
"The crowd went crazy, it was roaring,” Davis-Woodhall said. "I fell back into the sand, and I looked up at the arena."
You’ve probably seen photos and videos of what she’s describing. The internet did its thing, taking these moments Davis-Woodhall described, capturing fans around the world.
"I ran over to Hunter and he was just shouting at me that you're the Olympic champion,” she said. “He was the first person to ever call me the Olympic champion. So, it's pretty special."
With her gold medal around her neck, Davis-Woodhall recounted her winning moment, her journey with Hunter, and so much more.
Cue every K-State fan yelling, “EMAW (Every Man A Wildcat)!”
Davis-Woodhall is now an assistant coach for K-State's track & field team.
“I'm hoping that I could bring an older sister to these athletes,” Davis-Woodhall said. “I am going to coach, but I also want to be a mentor for them.”
She had her moment with Woodhall as her biggest cheerleader. Now, it's his moment to compete for a gold medal, or two, in Paris next week at the Paralympics. Woodhall already has won three medals in the past.
“We've done everything we need to this year to be in a great position to compete well and run fast,” he said.
And you know she will cheer just as loud as he did.
"It's just something we love,” Woodhall said.
But their goals are even bigger than a medal count.
"We want to get people's eyes on long jump, and we want to get people to care about the Paralympics,” Woodhall said.
RELATED STORY | Here are some Paralympians on Team USA who you should know before the Paris Paralympics
What makes them even greater is their representation.
Travis Geopfert, the K-State director of track & field and cross country, also serves as coach to Davis-Woodhall and her husband.
“I know they are superstars that transcend track and field, but they're great people at their core and they maintain who they are,” Geopfert said.
It’s why Geopfert is so ecstatic to bring Tara with him to K-State, but not until after he and Hunter go for some hardware in Paris.
“I've had a number of people mention that you gotta be tired, and I'm honestly not,” Geopfert said. “You know, I think these student-athletes get me rejuvenated, and I'm ready to go for another year.”
Davis-Woodhall is ready to guide these student athletes after Woodhall's Paralympic competitions.
Together, the pair will keep being great — through every step and every jump.
"If one dream and goal is reached, then I feel like I've done my job,” Davis-Woodhall said.
The Paralympics begin Wednesday. Woodhall's first competition in the Paralympics will be Sept. 1.
This story was originally published by Elyse Schoenig at Scripps News Kansas City.
RELATED STORY | The Paralympic Games are starting. Here's what to expect as 4,400 athletes compete in Paris
