Olympic Gold Medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall Delivers Powerful Message as Star Athletes Continue to Keep the Sport Alive

It was only a matter of time before someone dared to go where only a few ever have. The long jump pit has long been the stage for dramatic breakthroughs and airborne miracles—but this one sent a jolt through the entire track and field world. It didn’t come in an Olympic final, nor on a global stage with stadiums packed to the brim. Instead, it landed quietly, almost defiantly, on a spring day in Kansas. Yet its impact? Thunderous.

A new name has now etched itself into the elite world of 7-meter women’s long jumps. Alexis Brown. And while the jump itself was measured and recorded like any other, the magnitude of what it meant was something only those who’ve been there could truly grasp. Tara Davis-Woodhall, the reigning Olympic champion, knew the weight of it immediately. And when she saw what happened at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, she couldn’t help but celebrate it like a personal victory.

“I am sooo happy that 7 meters is alive again! The sport is evolving 😍 congratulations to all the ladies who hit the big 7!!!!!!!!!!!!” she wrote on Threads, her joy leaping off the screen. For Davis-Woodhall, this wasn’t just about one impressive jump. It was about a movement. It was about the next generation pushing boundaries that were once considered rare air. 

The woman responsible for that excitement was NCAA indoor champion Alexis Brown of Baylor. Already riding high from a breakout season, Brown brought the fireworks early on day two of the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in Lawrence, Kansas. In her very first attempt, she flew. Clean, precise, and determined. To a stunning 7.03 meters. A wind-legal, personal best, world-leading mark. Just like that, the NCAA had a new queen of distance. It was her second straight conference title, but this one came with a different kind of resonance. Brown didn’t just win. She made a statement.

And her day wasn’t done. She clocked the fastest time in the 100 meters prelims with 11.45 seconds, showing she wasn’t just a long jump prodigy. She was a versatile force rewriting the script of what a collegiate athlete could achieve. But it was that leap, those 7.03 meters, that had everyone talking. It didn’t just extend her resume. It reignited a narrative that Tara Davis-Woodhall had helped define: that 7 meters wasn’t a finish line. 

Now, Davis-Woodhall had entered that stratosphere herself earlier this year in Paris, clinching Olympic gold with a 7.10m leap, showing the world she had evolved far beyond the athlete she was in Tokyo. Now, seeing that same threshold being breached at the collegiate level? That was the kind of evolution she was excited to witness.

It was the beginning. A new standard. A call to all rising athletes that the impossible is once again within reach. Meanwhile, with more names creeping into the 7-meter realm, one thing is clear. This isn’t a solitary evolution. It’s a wave. And as Tara Davis-Woodhall herself proved this year, once you cross that mark, everything changes. For Brown, it already has. And for the sport, the future just got a whole lot more exciting. For example, the recently concluded Atlanta City Games 2025.

Claire Bryant Stuns With Final-Jump 7.03m to Steal Atlanta Long Jump Thriller

In a stunning climax to the women’s long jump at the Atlanta City Games, Claire Bryant pulled off the leap of her life, literally! On her final attempt, the newly crowned champion at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships soared to a wind-aided 7.03m (+2.4m/s), clinching victory by a mere centimeter over Olympic bronze medalist Jasmine Moore. The crowd, already buzzing from the head-to-head intensity, erupted as Bryant nailed her first-ever 7-meter jump, a dramatic capstone to what’s becoming a breakout season for the 23-year-old.

Moore, who had taken the lead in the fourth round with a windy 7.02m (+2.6m/s), looked poised for the win after posting her all-time outdoor best. But Bryant, undeterred and clearly feeding off her momentum from Nanjing, delivered under pressure. Her final leap not only edged Moore but marked the farthest jump by a woman outdoors in 2025. Meanwhile, Quanesha Burks grabbed third with a wind-legal 6.80m (22-3¾), showing consistency but unable to match the explosive top two.

Fresh off her golden performance at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, where she led from the very first round and recorded a personal best of 6.96m. Bryant’s outdoor breakthrough seemed inevitable. That indoor crown marked her first global medal, a defining moment that has clearly catapulted her confidence and execution. With her performances now aligning indoors and out, Claire Bryant isn’t just arriving. She’s indeed taking over.