When Tara Davis-Woodhall told reporters, “I feel great,” after clearing 6.75m and beating Sydney Willits at the Drake Relays in April, it felt like the start of something special. She wasn’t just competing. She was glowing. Fans watched as she brought that unmistakable energy to the track, the same one that helped her soar to 7.14 meters and Olympic gold in Tokyo 2021. With her blend of athletic brilliance and magnetic personality, Tara is the kind of athlete who doesn’t just jump. She lights up the sport.

But when Michael Johnson dropped the roster for his groundbreaking new track league, there was one glaring omission. Tara’s name was nowhere in sight. No shoutout, no listing, no hint of a cameo. Just a quiet absence that left fans scratching their heads. Now, that silence is being broken. Not by Tara herself, but by track legend Justin Gatlin, who has voiced what many have been thinking: Where is she?

And more importantly, when can we see her back electrifying the runway again? On the latest episode of his Ready Set Go podcast, Justin Gatlin didn’t shy away from addressing Tara Davis-Woodhall’s absence from the Grand Slam Track lineup. “I think she’s excited to watch. She’s always going to come up with something, bro. Tara’s always going to come up with something, man,” he said, hinting that Tara’s silence isn’t a retreat but a calculated pause.

“So I think she’s going to see Lissa’s on the radar with that 7.06, and she’s going to say, Okay, cool, now I see what my competition is at right now. Now I need to know where I need to train.” Gatlin’s message was clear: Davis-Woodhall isn’t fading. She’s observing, strategizing, and staying ready. He continued, “So she might be like, I’m already there. For Tara, it’s all about timing now.”

Gatlin emphasized how important timing is. But he also mentions, “For her, she got the Olympic gold—she accomplished what her dream was, which is to get the Olympic gold—and she did it in grand fashion.” Gatlin’s perspective offered a deeper understanding of what’s at stake for a reigning champion. For Tara, it’s no longer about proving her potential. It’s about preserving dominance.

“So now it’s about executing at the right time and keeping that winning legacy going,” he added. That strategy isn’t surprising for someone who already reached the pinnacle in Paris last summer. Davis-Woodhall’s golden leap of 7.10 meters still feels surreal to her. “It does! It’s crazy how long it’s been already,” she told Cosmopolitan, clearly still soaking in her history-making moment.

From finishing sixth in Tokyo 2021 to standing atop the podium in 2024, her journey has been a stunning rise. Off the track, she’s become a social media powerhouse with over a million followers. Yet still grounded, still focused. And while her name was nowhere to be found on the Grand Slam Track roster, those who know her best, like Gatlin, aren’t worried. They know exactly what’s coming.

Tara Davis-Woodhall fights for field events and builds her legacy

Tara Davis-Woodhall has never shied away from speaking her truth. In November 2024, she took a bold stand against Olympic legend Michael Johnson after he unveiled his Grand Slam Track league. Noticeably without field events. Tara, a proud long jumper and Olympic champion, didn’t mince words. “About my sport, it doesn’t need saving at all,” she fired back, calling Johnson’s approach “ignorant” and “disrespectful.”

Her stance struck a nerve, sparking a larger discussion about the importance of respecting all disciplines in athletics. Not just the ones that fit neatly into a commercial model. Her advocacy hasn’t been limited to the track. Tara and her husband, Paralympian Hunter Woodhall, opened up in September 2024 about their struggles to get a docuseries about their Paris Olympic journey green-lit.

“It’s crazy to think we tried to get someone to make a docuseries of @taarra and my journey to the Paris Games. No one picked it up. Guess a long jumper and a Paralympian wasn’t a compelling enough story,” Hunter shared online. The post stirred backlash, with critics calling the couple “bratty” or “entitled.” Despite this, Tara and Hunter stood firm, refusing to let outside opinions define their worth or their story.

Tara’s outspokenness, particularly her rebuttal to Johnson’s statement, “Michael, you are ruining the sport if you are trying to save just track… It’s track and field for a reason.” This fueled a broader conversation about the sport’s future. Though Johnson later clarified his intent to start with track for practical reasons, the exclusion felt all too familiar to athletes like Tara.

Yet rather than wait for validation, Tara is charting her path. And the world is taking notice. With support from icons like Serena Williams and a growing platform of her own, she’s turning adversity into momentum, refusing to let her sport or her voice be sidelined.