“Mentally, I was in a dark place.” That’s how Tara Davis-Woodhall described what she was going through, not just the highs of winning Olympic gold, but the real, raw struggles she faced behind the scenes. You might think athletes have it all figured out, but mental health struggles like depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts are way more common than people realize. Before stars like Simone Biles started speaking openly about their battles, mental health in sports wasn’t something anyone talked about. It was like a secret everyone kept until…

Tara breaks that old stereotype that athletes are supposed to be “mentally tough” all the time, no matter what. She’s been honest about thinking, at times, “Maybe I just want to quit.” She’s said she’s battled depression, body image issues, and she’s gone, in her words, “through hell and back.” But Tara’s struggles didn’t just pop up overnight. After graduating from high school in 2017, Tara Davis-Woodhall started her college track career at the University of Georgia.

That’s when she first began dealing with depression, triggered by heavy stuff like her parents’ divorce. She transferred to the University of Texas in 2018 and started competing there during the 2019-20 season. But things got tough in November 2020, Tara stayed in her room almost the entire week, barely able to get out of bed. She was stuck in a deep depression that made her question everything, including her future in the sport she once loved.

And it wasn’t just then; after the Tokyo Olympics, she faced another intense episode of depression. When she first felt these feelings, she didn’t even know what they were or how to handle them. It’s hard to fight something you don’t understand. A few years later, Tara shared with the USATF Foundation how she handled the situation. One surprising factor that assisted was… Music.

Billie Eilish, especially because Billie is honest about mental health when she sings. “I like that she talks about mental health in her songs a lot,” Tara Davis-Woodhall says. Tara was strongly helped by his sincerity when she most needed support. Her story stands out further because she shared, “I never had anyone in my sport with [stories about mental health], so I could never relate to anyone.”

Now, she wants to make things better for anyone else going through it. Tara wants athletes to know that mental strength matters as much as physical strength and that it’s all right to seek assistance. Not only did Tara Davis-Woodhall achieve greatness in athletics, but she’s also using her experience to support and help the sport.

Tara Davis-Woodhall, along with athletes like Simone Biles and Noah Lyles, is proving to the world that even champions have challenges nobody sees. Why had she developed depression in the first place?

‘Like a boy,’ Tara Davis-Woodhall turned that insult into her superpower

Having to cope with a back injury, COVID, and transferring schools, Tara Davis-Woodhall entered a low moment that made her want to give up track. “Mentally, I was in a really dark place. I just didn’t want to be here anymore,” she shared. After turning to family and friends, reaching out to therapists and psychologists was an important change. Fitness discourse allowed her to share her feelings as an elite athlete.

But she struggled with body dysmorphia, a condition that caused her to fixate on parts of her body nobody else could see, so she was made insecure by her bulky muscles. When she was young, negative comments from peers, like boys teasing her for looking “like a boy” because of her muscles, made the situation worse.

Seeing fellow mate Ivana Spanovic demonstrates how toned and strong her body is eventually changed Tara’s perspective on things. “I knew that is what it takes to become the best,” Tara Davis-Woodhall said. With this realization, she began to accept and even celebrate her strength. She emphasized the importance of mental fitness alongside physical: “I practice so much of my physical, why not practice our mental, too?”

Supported by therapy and the encouragement of her Paralympian husband, Hunter Woodhall, she now feels free to fully be herself. “I couldn’t be myself for a while and it sucks. Now that I am, I’m not going back,” she said. Today, she’s freer, bolder, and wide open about her journey, no longer hiding or caring what anyone thinks.