Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall share what they said to each other after winning gold

It’s their year!

Olympian Tara Davis-Woodhall and her Paralympic husband Hunter Woodhall both won their first gold medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

In the viral moments that left fans around the world swooning, the first person they partied with was each other.

On August 8, after Davis-Woodhall won gold in the women’s long jump, she ran to her husband in the stands for a hug and a kiss.

When Woodhall won the men’s 400m T62 race on September 6, he did the same.

In a joint interview with TODAY.com, the couple says those moments helped each other stay “grounded” as their dreams came true. When they reunited after each game, they told each other, “We did it” and “You won,” Woodhall says.

“’You’re the Paralympic champion’ or ‘You’re the Olympic champion,’” he recalls.

“I think we spent so much time dreaming about it, what it would be like and what it would feel like, and then when you get to that moment, you need someone to remind you that it’s really happening and to keep you grounded,” Woodhall says.

“We’ve been through this whole process together, so there’s no one I’d rather see first after such an incredible performance,” Woodhall adds.

In the men’s 400m T62 event on Friday, Woodhall overtook German runner Johannes Floors, completing the race in 46.36 seconds. It was a huge achievement for the Paralympic athlete, who lost the same race to Floors at the Tokyo Olympics. In 2021, Woodhall finished third behind Dutchman Olivier Hendriks.

But Woodhall says he had a clear plan to finish first this time.

“I can’t even explain how exactly, but my coach explained to me how the race would go and everything he said would happen happened exactly the way it did,” Woodhall said.

“I was so well prepared, and that was down to the great team around me,” adds Woodhall.

But during the race, Davis-Woodhall watched nervously as her husband competed. The couple admits it’s always tough to watch each other perform on the big day, even though they’ve been training together for years.

“It’s like nerves, but in an exciting way,” Woodhall says. “You’re just excited about the potential of what could happen.”

Davis-Woodhall agrees.

“When I watched his 100, I got the most insane amount of nerves of my life,” she says. “I’ve never had nerves like that before, but when he did the 400, I was just excited. I was excited with the family and friends. But I would rather be competing, you know. I’m not going to lie. I would rather have all the power and control.”

As it turned out, Davis-Woodhall had nothing to worry about. As Woodhall crossed the finish line, he immediately began to scream with excitement. As he faced the camera, he removed his bib number to reveal a special message for his late uncle, who had died of cancer, which read: “This one is for you.”

“It’s unbelievable,” Woodhall said of winning the race. “I keep using the word surreal.

“I don’t know, everything went exactly as I wrote it in my diary, and it feels like a dream. It’s incredible. I’m grateful,” he adds.

Manifestation has played a big part in the couple’s lives. Before the Paris Games, Davis-Woodhall wrote in her diary that she wanted to win an Olympic gold medal. Inspired by his wife, Woodhall did the same.

“I absolutely believe in the power manifestation,” Davis-Woodhall says. “I believe the tongue has a lot of power.”

“I totally agree,” Woodhall adds. “I think you’re much more likely to achieve your goal if you know exactly what your goal is. And I think writing it down and seeing it and visualizing it is a way to really tell yourself what you want to do. And also believe in yourself that you can do it.”

Now that the Games are over, they plan to train hard for the next Olympic Games, which will take place in Los Angeles in 2028.

As always, they say they will continue to train together.

“We do everything together. We train at the exact same time, we go to the gym at the exact same time, we come home, we cook together, and in the evening we go over our training film and talk about what we did well, what we can work on and how we can get better,” Woodhall says.

“We just love this sport and we both share such a passion for it that it doesn’t really feel like a job,” he adds. “It’s more like we just enjoy what we do.”