Tara Davis-Woodhall, an Olympian, and her husband, Hunter Woodhall, are capturing hearts online for all the right reasons.
After securing her first gold medal in the long jump at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the couple’s heartfelt celebration quickly gained attention. Now, a video of Hunter’s surprise welcome home for Tara is going viral.
In a TikTok video, Hunter—himself a Paralympic sprinter—is seen preparing for the surprise, gathering balloons in the colors of the American flag. He captions the video, “I made it home and we’re going to throw a surprise party for Tara.”
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Tara, arriving at the Arkansas airport, is seen dancing with her medal, affectionately named Philippe. “The gold medal has made it home. You’re in Arkansas, Philippe,” she announces with joy.
The surprise continues as Tara arrives at her favorite neighborhood pizzeria in Springdale, where a large group of friends and family eagerly await. Overwhelmed, she reacts with disbelief, uttering “Whoa,” before breaking down in tears amid cheers and horn-blowing.
Later in the video, the gold medalist is seen enjoying her party, celebrating with loved ones.
The couple, who both competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, first met during a high school track meet.
According to Good Morning America, they were both seniors at the time. On the Instagram account “The Way We Met,” Tara recalls noticing Hunter as he prepared for the 400-meter race while she warmed up for the hurdles. She thought, “Oooh, who’s that?”—unaware that he had prosthetic legs, as he was wearing sweatpants.
Hunter was born with fibular hemimelia, a condition that led his parents to decide on the amputation of his legs when he was just 11 months old. Initially using prosthetic legs, he eventually transitioned to blades to pursue his passion for running.
Tara admitted that she found herself staring at him before realizing she might seem awkward. Meanwhile, Hunter had his eye on Tara, telling his friend, “Damn, that girl is fine. I’m going to marry her.” He even saved a text he sent to his best friend, Tucker, saying, “This is the girl I’m going to marry.”
The following day, after watching Hunter win the 400-meter race, Tara approached him and said, “I just need a hug,” embracing him as he caught his breath. Hunter excitedly told Tucker, “Dude, Tara Davis just came up to me and gave me a hug.” The two struck up a conversation as they received their medals—Hunter for the 400 meters, and Tara for the long jump and hurdles—before returning to their respective hometowns.
Tara made the first move on social media, following Hunter on Instagram. When he followed back, she sent him a direct message, joking, “Past your bedtime!” to which Hunter replied, “Been waiting on this DM, sorry.”
Though separated by distance—Tara from California and Hunter from Utah—their relationship blossomed. Tara later joined the University of Georgia track and field team before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her undergraduate studies in 2021.
Not long after the Tokyo Olympics, in September 2021, Hunter proposed to Tara. The couple married in October 2022 in McKinney, Texas.
Hunter is now gearing up to compete in several track events at the Paralympics, set to begin on August 28 in Paris.
