SAINT-DENIS, France — Before her fourth attempt in the Olympic women’s long jump final, Tara Davis-Woodhall spent time near the spectator stands, chatting with her husband. Hunter Woodhall’s seat inside Stade de France was far removed from where the athletes sat and warmed up between their jumps. So after that conversation, Davis-Woodhall had to make the long walk back, past the length of the sand pit. Suddenly, she stopped. She was staring at the sand, pressing her hands together and pointing to a particular mark.
To that point Thursday night, no one but Davis-Woodhall had eclipsed seven meters — and she wasn’t particularly impressed with her performance, even though she had been in medal position from her first attempt and was in the middle of putting down one of the best series of Olympic jumps by an American woman. In that moment, as she pointed toward the sand, Davis-Woodhall visualized her next landing spot. When she took off, sprinting, flying and stretching, her jump was recorded at 7.10 meters (23 feet 3½ inches). Immediately, she turned back to the pit. She was looking at her mark, and even before the official measurement appeared on the jumbo screens, Davis-Woodhall saw gold.
With that leap, Davis-Woodhall became just the fourth U.S. woman to win a gold medal in the long jump. Her performance was so dominant that even her next-best jump — a 7.05 (23-1½) recorded in her second attempt — would have been good enough for gold. Both marks crushed Davis-Woodhall’s winning leap in last year’s U.S. indoor championships, though she was stripped of that title after testing positive for cannabis. In Paris, while reflecting on her life and career, she spoke of her path to redemption.
I’ve been dreaming of this moment for so long, ever since I was 4 years old,” Davis-Woodhall said. “I’ve gone through hell and back. I have, like, faced everything that you can imagine, and I told myself: 8-0-8. That’s the day I win the Olympics.”
If jumping on Aug. 8 wasn’t enough of a sign, that the long jump finals started at 8 p.m. local time cemented it for Davis-Woodhall. She viewed it as kind of destiny, the perfect time and date to make amends for her sixth-place finish at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She left those Games without a medal, but in the year leading up to Paris, Davis-Woodhall followed a new winning plan: eating red meat and blocking fools on social media. The combination improved her nutrition — and her mental health.
“I try so hard to keep on being positive this year and keep on being motivated,” she said. “That motivation turned into manifestation, and manifestation turned into a reality, and the reality is I’m an Olympic gold medalist.”
Behind Davis-Woodhall stood Malaika Mihambo of Germany (6.98, 22-103/4), the silver medalist, and U.S. teammate Jasmine Moore (6.96, 22-10), who claimed bronze. By the time that trio closed the competition with their sixth and final jumps, all three knew they would be leaving with a medal. The only drama remaining was whether Moore and Mihambo could at least threaten Davis-Woodhall’s mark. But Moore couldn’t beat her previous best, and Mihambo, who won gold in Tokyo, missed the board and instead ran through the pit.
Davis-Woodhall didn’t turn around to watch; she looked only at her coach. She was still looking away, mentally preparing herself for one more jump, as the moan from the crowd informed her of Mihambo’s misfortune.
“I’ve had first place taken away from me multiple times. I wanted to just keep on staying in the moment,” Davis-Woodhall said, “and when I heard the crowd Oooo! I was like, ‘Oh no!’ Like, I wish I would’ve paid attention and watched her jump, and I wish she would’ve gotten that jump in, but on the upside, I’ve got an Olympic gold medal.”
Give Davis-Woodhall a camera and a microphone, and the charismatic and charming YouTube sensation will sprinkle in viral-ready moments throughout a 4½-minute media session. When asked how she felt about eclipsing seven meters twice, she quipped: “The fact that I jumped a 7.10, holy sheee-!” When she was told that Simone Biles and Snoop Dogg watched the track and field session as part of a near-capacity crowd of 80,000, Davis-Woodhall’s eyes widen and her jaw dropped. “What? Shut up!”
But give her a runway and a sandpit, and that’s when Davis-Woodhall truly becomes a star. No one quite commanded the crowd Thursday night like she did. Before every jump, Davis-Woodhall spread her arms and slowly, dramatically, began to clap. Even when she wasn’t shown on the big screen, the crowd followed her lead, clapping right along. Before that epic fourth jump, she raised her arms and flashed a heart gesture. Then she seemed to land just about at the spot she had previously located on her walk back down the runway. The spot that won gold.
“Is this real, am I dreaming?” she said. “Someone pinch me.”
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