Track and Field Legends Shield Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall After Controversial Opinion Enrages Fans

“Grand Slam Track is going to take our sport to new heights, and we want you to come along for the ride.” – In June, Michael Johnson officially announced the launch of his brainchild, Grand Slam Track. The professional track league would entail four marquee meets, dubbed Slams, over the course of a year. The 4x Olympic gold medalist emphasized that the focus would solely be on the sport by bringing together the best sprinters and distance runners in the world. Sounds like a great plan, doesn’t it? 

After an exciting 2024 track and field season, numerous fans looked forward to the event next April. However, Olympic gold medalists Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall had a bone to pick with the legendary sprinter. This didn’t go unnoticed by several fans, who weren’t too pleased by their fiery opinion. On the other hand, two track and field legends have come forward to clear the air. What did the duo have to say? 

Track and field legends de-escalate the heated situation

When Michael Johnson unveiled his idea for the Grand Slam Track, nobody expected such a fiery pushback. On a December 12 episode of Ready Set Go, Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green analyzed the situation at hand. “It ruffled a lot of feathers. I mean, you saw the Woodhalls. The Woodhalls did not like it at all, bro. They didn’t,” the track and field legend exclaimed. What didn’t they like, you ask? The 4x Olympic gold medalist’s brainchild excludes half the sport – the field events. 

In fact, the legendary sprinter went as far as to say that he thinks he could save track, not track and field. However, this statement is what Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall had an issue with. Rodney Green agreed, “They did not like it. But what they said, people didn’t like it either. They didn’t like the disrespect of a gold medalist, you know?” The Bahamian athlete reiterated how fans dug into the Golden Couple’s lives to fire back at them. 

It’s true. The sport still grapples with financial issues that numerous other major leagues don’t often deal with. Track and field events barely earn halfway through their expenses. This is executed solely through sponsorships and prize money. The long jumper even came under scrutiny for the sponsorship deals she bagged after making the controversial statement. On the other hand, Green believed their harsh response came from a place of self-defense. 

“I think it was like, they saw it, and they feel like they should post immediately not thinking, ‘Okay, maybe we should think this through because we are very visible right now,’ you know what I mean,” the Bahamian sprinter admitted. He reiterated that the statement came across the way it did due to how high Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall’s emotions were during this time. Green further mentioned that he didn’t think they consulted with anyone. It was more a spur-of-the-moment reaction than anything else. But what did the Olympians say to incite such a harsh response from fans? 

Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall were unimpressed by Michael Johnson

On November 27, BBC spoke to the iconic sprinter about what to expect from his revolutionary track league. However, his controversial track and field opinion didn’t sit well with the Golden Couple. Not even a day later, the 25-year-old took to her Instagram, sharing a post highlighting the statements showcasing her displeasure. But the long jumper had so much more to say. 

Shortly after, Tara Davis-Woodhall shared a video on her Instagram stories with Hunter Woodhall. Starting on a somber note, the Olympian wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving. “I’m thankful for everything. I’m thankful for my sport. About my sport, it doesn’t need saving at all,” she exclaimed. 

However, she finally acknowledges Michael Johnson’s statement and exclaims that by just saving track, he is ruining the sport. The Olympian reiterated that the very core part of the sport was excluded with his revolutionary event. “The field events actually do have a lot of impact to the sport,” the 25-year-old stated, subtly insinuating that her Olympic gold-medal-worthy performance in Paris added to that. According to her, the sport didn’t need any of his savings. 

The Olympian wasn’t done just yet. “You’re long gone. Your time has passed. If you wanted to change the sport, you should have changed it a long time ago. Instead, you were skipping out of the sport,” Tara Davis-Woodhall added. Ouch. Hunter Woodhall drove the point home by adding that the 4x Olympic gold medalists made claims just to stay relevant. The Paralympian expressed that not only do people don’t care, but the Olympics showcased how everything was fine and dandy. While the Golden Couple found themselves in hot water due to their honest take, Rodney Green’s analysis of how that came about seemed accurate. Do you agree with the track and field legends?