The 2024 Paris Olympics brought a ton of action-packed performances for the audience. Indeed, it was also a feast for the track and field fans. One such exciting performance was the women’s long jump finals, which saw Tara Davis-Woodhall achieve her career-first Olympic gold medal. It was a watershed moment in her career, and in the same year she achieved her first indoor champion title in Glasgow, she was able to excel on an international stage once more!

However, the Stade de France provided many more moments for the long jumper, as she witnessed her husband, Hunter Woodhall, secure his Paralympic gold medal. The couple was the talk of the community, and many admired their career dedication. While it was all glory in those moments of her athletic career, she didn’t take much longer to jump right in with a new responsibility. This time, Tara took on the role of assistant coach at Arkansas State University, and she recently discussed how she would balance her career with this new role.

Tara Davis-Woodhall embracing new challenge in life

Challenges have been a vital part of Tara Davis-Woodhall’s career, and she’s never afraid to take on a new one. Indeed, overcoming issues is what has crafted her into a professional athlete. However, the role of an assistant coach at such a reputed university will be a big task on her shoulders, but she’s ready for it. In an interview with Self, the Olympic gold medalist unveiled the reason for taking this role, stating, “I think it’ll help me become a better athlete in my own right. I get to learn my sport in a different way and see it in a different light. I also just want to be someone that I needed in college.”

While the role of assistant coach is a big one to handle, it will help Tara to hone her own abilities on the field. Indeed, she will gain more experience while teaching the new generation of the sport. However, it will also enable her to serve as a mentor to others, a role she always aspired to during her own collegiate career. But what were the problems she faced back then? “I went through a lot of things in college, like injuries, depression, parents divorcing, transferring schools. I went through so much that I feel like I have some knowledge and experience that will help me be a mentor, as well as having been successful in the sport in college. And I’m also only 25, so I’m not that much older than the students and can relate to what they’re going through,” said the Olympian.

Tara believes that as one of the youngest coaches at Arkansas State University, her students will be delighted and more open to her. Indeed, she could relate to her students, and it will be a great advantage to her as an assistant coach to understand her pupils more often than others. But it’s been a while since her coaching announcement; has she attended any sessions? Yes, she has. “So far, though, I’ve only been to one practice in October and two practices in November. But once we start training this week, I’m going to be there all the time,” said Tara, as she’s excited to explore her coaching role even further in the 2025 season.

Last year, the wife of Hunter Woodhall achieved a ton of ambitions. Indeed, she was performing at her best, as evidenced by her numerous accolades. The gold medal in the Olympic Games’ long jump finals was the biggest achievement for her. However, it wasn’t straightforward for her after the major event, as she went through a mental breakdown.

A lot of glory at some cost

Surely, accolades like an Olympic gold medal are priceless. However, sometimes an athlete can get overwhelmed with the possibilities afterwards. Tara Davis-Woodhall gained a ton of notoriety after her feat in Paris, but she was confused about her future. She was uncertain about her next steps, which caused her significant distress immediately after the Games.

The Olympic long jumper explained her situation, stating, “I definitely had an Olympic hangover, as they say, but it also wasn’t really a full one because I never had downtime. I feel like the people who have the real hangovers—it’s like, they’re doing something, they’re doing something, and then they stop. But we’ve been continuously on the go since.” Indeed, mental health is a complex subject, and the thoughts that raced through her mind caused her to overthink her athletic career.

An Olympic gold medal was something that she desired the most, but the moment she captured it, Tara found herself without any particular ambition. However, after thinking a lot, she decided on her next goal of her athletic career, stating, “And I’ve realized what I definitely want is the world record. I can say now, I figured that out. Mentally, I’m ready for the season to begin, and I’m ready to train. But yeah, for a second, I had this moment of, ‘What am I supposed to do?’” Since June 1988, Galina Chistyakova’s world record of 7.52m has remained unbroken, but Tara is determined to break it in the upcoming season. It’s a daring goal, but can she truly accomplish it? Only time will tell.