Saint-Denis, France
CNN
—
Tara Davis Woodhall overcame what most people would never have imagined just to qualify for the Olympics. Her crowning moment on Friday showed just how tough it is to compete, let alone win.
Davis-Woodhall soared through the air Thursday night to win gold in the long jump, clearing 7.10 meters. It was a joyous moment for a woman competing in her second Olympics who had to overcome serious injuries to rebuild her career, including two broken vertebrae, a fractured ankle and a broken hip.
“It’s been a very long journey,” she said Thursday. “I’ve overcome a lot to get to this point, and I don’t think I realize now that I’m an Olympic champion. I’ll realize it when I see my family again off the track.”
On Friday, at the Stade de France, I finally realised the magnitude of this moment.
As she climbed to the center of the podium to win the gold medal, Davis-Woodhall looked incredulous. Her hands covered her mouth and her eyes looked as wide as dinner plates.
She allowed herself a few jumps of joy when the medal was brought to her and was visibly fighting back tears when it was placed around her neck.
She waved to the crowd and raised her fists, as her lifelong preparation finally paid off with a gold medal containing a piece of the Eiffel Tower.
As the American national anthem began to play, things finally became unbearable.
Tears streamed down Davis Woodhull’s cheeks as she smiled and relished the smile. Cameras caught her whispering to herself, “I did it.”
It’s the moment every Olympic athlete waits for, a dream come true on the biggest stage possible.
As the national anthem ended, Davis Woodhall wiped tears from her eyes and waved to the crowd again, her body trembling with joy. She ran into the stands to show her husband, a three-time Paralympic medalist, her new treasure, sharing another sweet moment that echoed her jumping into the stands to hug her through tears after her win on Thursday night.
It was a far cry from Tokyo, when families were not allowed to attend the Games and the massive stadium that hosted the athletics was largely empty. Davis and Woodhall finished sixth at those Games, only able to compete because they were postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the extent of her injuries was significant.
She said that after those games she suffered from a severe period of depression.
“I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t see myself as an Olympic champion. After Tokyo, I felt like I would never do it again,” she said. “This year was different. I questioned a lot of things. I was eating red meat, and that was the best thing I’ve ever done.”
“I didn’t let anything get me down. I tried so hard to stay positive this year, to stay motivated. And that motivation turned into a look, and then the look turned into reality, and the reality is that I got the Olympic gold medal,” she added.
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