"Fighting for the right"- Hunter Woodhall opens up on his struggles as a para-athlete during college recruitment 

By Adityan Pillai

Modified Nov 09, 2024 03:51 GMT

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Hunter Woodhall opened up on the struggles he faced as a para-athlete during the college recruitment process. The Paralympic Gold medalist revealed that he did not get a single college shortlist as a student-athlete despite recording some of the fastest times in the nation.

Woodhall was born with a condition called fibular hemimelia in his left leg which prevented the complete development of his lower limb. After suggestions from doctors, his parents made the difficult decision to get both his legs amputated below the knee. Woodhall played multiple sports in his school which included football, baseball, and track.

However, he joined the track team in his high school after his friends were a part of the team. Steadily, he improved his craft and emerged as one of the best junior para-athletes in the country. Despite his incredible performances, Hunter Woodhall faced a lot of struggles during the college recruitment process. He was a part of SHRM INCLUSION 2024 and revealed how he did not have a single recruiting call from colleges.

Speaking about his experience, he said:

"It was a question of, ‘Why?’ I [felt] like I had all the boxes checked. Why am I not able to get into this sport? The answer was, ‘It’s never been done.’ For so long … it’s been fighting for the right, fighting for respect, fighting for other people to see our value and what we want to see happen in sports.Now it’s also about shedding more light on the inclusion," he said.

"We want to show people that it’s awesome to be different; it’s awesome to be unique,” Woodhall said. “And you can do really, really incredible things—regardless of what your physical attributes or situation is," he added.

Hunter Woodhall on facing criticism as a para-athlete

Hunter Woodhall at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games - Day 8 - Source: Getty

Hunter Woodhall reflected on facing criticism for his performances during his career. The American expressed how he has majorly faced criticism whenever his performances had seen a spike in the season. However, he never received any support or hatred when he struggled or failed to put forward his best performance.

"You’re a cheater.. you have an advantage. It’s weird how for the first time since junior high that’s not what people are saying right now. I’m running horribly, and I’m not where I want to be this season, and no one has an issue," he said.

"My races haven’t clicked and there are a lot of things I’m working on. Remember this though, when everything starts to come together and the times start to drop. People only have an issue when things are going good," he added.

Further, he urged people to focus on the positive aspects while undergoing struggles and ignore the naysayers.