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About ten days ago, the track and field world got a bit of déjà vu from the Paris Olympics. Why? Because Tara Davis-Woodhall and her husband, Hunter Woodhall, pulled off the same kind of magic again. Last year in Paris, the power couple bagged gold in their signature events at the Olympics and Paralympics. Fast forward to the first week of August, and they were back at it — Tara in the long jump, Hunter in the T62 100m — both topping the podium at the USATF Nationals. And honestly, that’s just part of the incredible run they’ve been on lately.

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Tara Davis-Woodhall just dropped a world-leading mark in the women’s long jump, and Hunter Woodhall smashed out a 45.70 in the 400m for a new American record. But funny enough, the track and field world isn’t just buzzing about their wins — it’s for a whole different reason.

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On the latest episode of Track World News, Colin Waitzman spilled some tea about Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall that most people hadn’t heard before. Turns out, the golden couple has been catching some serious heat lately from a track and field coach out in New Jersey — Colin just called him “Coach T.” According to Colin, Tara and Hunter have known about this guy for a while and have clapped back at him here and there. But at the USATF Nationals, things took a whole new turn.

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Colin said Coach T showed up in Eugene during the meet and confronted Tara and Hunter. Things got heated fast, and the argument followed them into the athlete-only area — until security had to step in and escort the coach out. But that wasn’t the end of it. According to Waitzman, later that night, Coach T somehow ended up at the same bar where the Woodhalls were celebrating with friends. That’s when things took another turn. Colin claimed, “Clearly, Hunter, Tara, and her friends were drunk. They had, like, their, they definitely had a couple of brewskies in them already. Hunter tries to, like, break bread, amend things, friends kind of escalate the situation as sometimes happens when al____l is involved.” And yep… the whole mess still hasn’t been sorted out.

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Meanwhile, Waitzman mentioned that Coach T is now on the hunt for video clips to use as evidence. That’s where things currently stand in the ongoing drama. As for whether the golden couple is worried about it, that’s still up in the air.

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Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter reveal the key parts of their relationship.

Back in mid-July, Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall sat down with Female Quotient and opened up about the secret sauce behind their bond — and it’s not just about romance, it’s about teamwork. Hunter didn’t sugarcoat it: “Every single way imaginable. Every single choice that we made in athletics and life has been like together as a team.” That wasn’t always the case. At the Tokyo Games, they were apart — training separately, competing — and the results weren’t exactly storybook. Hunter left Tokyo with a bronze in the men’s 400m T62, while Tara walked away empty-handed.

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“We both did very badly,” Hunter said flat-out. Tara laughed and jumped in with a “Not that bad,” but didn’t exactly disagree. That’s when they made a pact: if one of them was going to win, the other would too — no excuses. They pushed each other, held each other accountable, and worked like a true unit. Fast forward to Paris, and the payoff was golden — literally. Tara clinched her first Olympic gold in the long jump, and Hunter came home with two medals: gold in the 400m T62 and bronze in the 4×100m Universal Relay. Those wins weren’t just about hard training — they were proof that love, partnership, and a shared dream can change everything.

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Written by

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Prasun Chakrabarty

2,302 Articles

Prasun Chakrabarty is a Senior Writer in the Olympic Sports division at EssentiallySports, where he covers track and field, gymnastics, swimming, and other Olympic disciplines. A seasoned journalist with three years at the company, Prasun's extensive knowledge and passion for track and field were evident from day one. With years of connections and research already established, he brought a unique edge to the ES Insights and Trends Desk. He has since become a key voice in the company's Olympic sports coverage. His star coverage includes World Athletics Indoor Championships, USATF Outdoor Championships, and reporting live from the U.S. Marathon Trials. His expertise earned him a special invitation from the Paris City Council to cover lead-up events ahead of the 2024 Olympics. Over time, his stories have sparked real-world impact. His piece on athlete mental toughness drew praise from Texas Volleyball head coach Jerritt Elliott, while a feature on winter sports caught the attention of Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn, who engaged with it publicly. His reporting has made its way into Wikipedia, where editors have cited his work as a trusted source on Olympic sports. Being an alum of the Journalistic Excellence Program (JEP) and an active member of the ES Think Tank, he’s part of the team driving the site’s long-term coverage strategy.

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Indrakshi Roy

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