Since 2023, Tara Davis-Woodhall hasn’t lost a long-jump competition; what’s more, she’s leapt beyond seven meters in 13 of her 14 meets. It’s likely why she seemed to be the only one who didn’t care that the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix was the first meet of the season. If she did, the 27-year-old wouldn’t have produced the farthest jump by an American woman since Brittney Reese in 2016.

The American hit a wind legal 7.20m in her very first jump at the meet. That became the new 2026 world-leading mark in the long jump, eclipsing Alyssa Jones’ 7.09m mark from May 28. As if that wasn’t enough, Davis-Woodhall’s leap also went joint 19th on the all-time list. She sits alongside Irina Mushayilova, Irena Ozhenko, and Valy Ionescu.

It also marked a personal best for the athlete, beating her previous mark of 7.18m set in 2024. Furthermore, it’s also the furthest jump by an American woman since Brittney Reese leapt to 7.31 at the 2016 Olympic trials. It’s also the fourth-best mark by an American woman, after Jackie Joyner-Kersee (7.49), Marion Jones (7.31), and Reese. But the 27-year-old multi-discipline athlete wasn’t done.

Davis-Woodhall went above and beyond. In her third attempt at the meet, the American leapt to a wind-assisted 7.25m personal best.

Had that been wind-legal, the 27-year-old would have moved up the ranks in the all-time list again, this time clocking in at 15th. The Olympic gold medalist finished her six jump series with leaps of 7.14 and 6.85, although even her poorest leap (6.85) would have been enough to win. Second-place Monae Nichols only leapt to a best of 6.81m (+3.4) with a wind assist. It shows the clear difference between the two.

Davis-Woodhall’s dominance in the long jump isn’t all that surprising. After all, the 27-year-old hasn’t lost a single meet in the discipline since 2023, a sixteen-competition winning run. The last time she lost was when the American leapt to 6.91m and fell short at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Even then, only Ivana Vuleta (7.14) bettered her, and the Serbian has never even come close to that mark in her career since. Davis-Woodhall, on the other hand, overcame her loss, surpassing 7m seven times in 2024 and five times in 2025.

It’s only her first meet in 2026, and the Olympic and reigning World Indoors Champion has already surpassed her best. What makes it even more interesting is the fact that she also broke her personal best in the 100m hurdles.

Tara Davis-Woodhall was once considered to be the up-and-coming hurdles star before she switched to the long jump. And she showed why it was the right call, finishing second only to Olympic champion Masai Russell at the USATF Los Angles Grand Prix. The 27-year-old clocked 12.47, well behind Russell’s 12.26, even if that was a personal best for Davis-Woodhall.

However, the long-jump specialist was a combination of nervous and excited before her competition. That was something she admitted on social media, even revealing that she asked Russell for some advice

Tara Davis-Woodhall reflects on her return to the hurdles

Ever since she returned to training again, Tara Davis-Woodhall’s social media, especially her Instagram page, has shown her practising the hurdles. This surprised many of her new fans, yet the 27-year-old was previously considered a star in the 100m hurdles. She even set a national record as a high-schooler and a California state record in the discipline.

That’s over and above setting records as a collegiate athlete before she decided to focus on the long jump. The switch clearly worked but Davis-Woodhall never forgot about her roots, often using the hurdles as a practise tool for herself. However, with no Olympics or world championships in 2026, the 27-year-old has decided to return to her once-preferred discipline.

It did make her a little nervous, and she admitted to asking Masai Russell for advice on social media. Russell’s reply was “Think ‘long long long, short short, short’” which only bamboozled Davis-Woodhall even more. Yet the 27-year-old stuck with it as she enjoyed relearning an old discipline.

“Hurdle practices are full of challenges😂 haven’t hurdled in years, still trying to figure it all out” Davis-Woodhall shared on social media before the race. “And me feeling like a literal potato 🥔

“Honestly enjoying the hurdles so much. Getting out of my comfort zone and learning my body so much. I’ve used the hurdles to get stronger and faster. This season is all about growth and moving forward. Excited for the season to start.”

If Los Angeles was supposed to be a rust-shaking opener, Tara Davis-Woodhall treated it like a statement. That combination of a 7.20m breakthrough and a hurdles personal best suggests the Olympic champion isn’t just maintaining her dominance. Instead, it shows that she may still be finding new ways to raise her ceiling.