Tara Davis-Woodhall has reflected on her Paris Olympic gold, and her next major goal.
Tara Davis-Woodhall has disclosed how her life has changed since she won the long jump gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games.
The reigning world indoor champion believes that her win has not only benefited her but also the thousands of athletes from across the globe.
Tara revealed that she never imagined making it to the Olympic Games let alone winning it and she is confident that her milestone made people aware of long jump and track and field at large.
She further noted that making it in track and field is something she has always wanted to do and having made it on the highest competition level was a plus considering it was unexpected.
“It definitely was not expected. Even with Adam, my agent, we would talk about the Olympics, and we’d talk about winning, but I’d always be like, ‘If I win.’ I wouldn’t say, ‘When I win.’,” she said in an interview with SELF.
“Now, it’s unbelievable that we’re in the rooms that we are in, but it’s kinda cool that our sport is being seen, and that’s what I’ve always wanted to do is change how people see the sport.
“And being in these rooms and saying hi to these people now they’re maybe going to watch my Instagram, and then watch long jump, and then watch US Olympic Trials and Nationals. That’s the part that I’m excited for.”
After the Olympic Games, Tara revealed that there was a moment of uncertainty about her next step since winning the gold medal in Paris was what she had always been dreaming about.
The world long jump silver medallist revealed that she had to get back into training and focus on her next target, getting the world record. The world record stands at 7.52m and was set by Galina Chistyakova of the former Soviet Union in 1988 in Leningrad.
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The Jamaican sprint queen disclosed that she was not angry after missing the 200m world record in 2023 despite her facial expressions.
“I definitely had an Olympic hangover, as they say, but it also wasn’t really a full one because I never had downtime. I feel like the people who have the real hangovers, it’s like, they’re doing something, they’re doing something, and then they stop. But we’ve been continuously on the go since,” she said.
“The real question is like, What’s next? What am I shooting for? My whole life goal was the Olympic gold, so it’s like, how do I dream more? What more do I want from this sport?
“And I’ve realized what I definitely want is the world record. I can say now, I figured that out. Mentally, I’m ready for the season to begin, and I’m ready to train. But yeah, for a second, I had this moment of, what am I supposed to do?”
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But first, Tara will be looking to win the gold medal at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan and then possibly go for the world record.
