"No one's going to outwork me" - Tara Davis-Woodhall on what "fueled her fire" to attain long jump glory at Paris Olympics

By Marie Amani

Modified Aug 24, 2024 17:42 GMT

Tara Davis-Woodhall has shared how her past mistakes ignited her drive to Olympic triumph at the recently concluded Paris Games. Davis-Woodhall revealed that she needed to develop a mantra to steer her towards her goals this season.

At the Paris Olympics, Davis-Woodhall adopted a fresh perspective that propelled her to gold medal glory after leaping 7.10m in the women's long jump. Germany's Malaika Mihambo and Jasmine Moore secured second and third place with jumps of 6.98m and 6.96m. The Paris Olympic Games marked Davis-Woodhall's second Olympic appearance, following her debut at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, where she placed sixth.

Following the Tokyo Olympics, Davis-Woodhall participated in the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where she narrowly missed out on gold, securing a silver medal instead. Ivana Spanovic clinched the championship with a jump of 7.14m, while Tara Davis-Woodhall finished second at 6.91m. Alina Rotaru-Kottmann rounded out the podium with a jump of 6.88m.

Davis-Woodhall shared on The Game On podcast that at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she was in the process of transitioning from a collegiate athlete to a professional. She revealed that her defeat at the 2023 World Championships was a result of her complacency, but she vowed to never allow past mistakes to repeat.

"When I got sixth place in Tokyo, I was in college school, I had just graduated and was finishing my last paper in Tokyo. I feel like the first year was a transition from college to pro, one of the hardest things ever," Davis-Woodhall said.

"coming up from world championships, I got second place. That fueled my fire, to never let that happen again and it showed me that I was not putting in enough effort. So, I had to stay committed to it, because I wasn’t," she added. (9:48)

Following her previous losses in major championships, the reigning Olympic champion noted that she needed to adopt a different strategy while competing at the Paris Olympic Games. The reigning world indoor long jump champion had established goals and understood that she would need to put in the necessary effort to achieve them.

"And then, this year, I was like I was never letting that happen again. No one's going to outwork me. I'm going to be undefeated all season. And so, I had to commit myself to that and tell myself that you are going to do this," the 25-year-old said.

"And so, every day, I came to practice knowing I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I journaled every single day, and now we are Olympic gold medalists," she added. (10:50)

The American also revealed that she couldn't sleep before the competition day due to the anticipation of what lay ahead.

"Oh my gosh, I could barely sleep, and I literally woke up at 6 a.m. and I was just like wide awake, literally wide awake, and I was like, oh yeah, it's this year," she recalled. (11:15)

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Tara Davis-Woodhall chasing more glory in Rome

Tara Davis-Woodhall chasing more glory in Rome (Image via Getty)

Following her impressive performance at the Paris Games, Tara Davis-Woodhall is not resting on her laurels as she aims for continued success at the Diamond League Meeting in Rome, scheduled for August 30.

Davis-Woodhall will face off against compatriot Jasmine Moore, who claimed a bronze medal at the Olympics, along with Nigeria's Ese Brume. Romania's Alina Rotaru-Kottmann, ranked third in the field after clearing 6.96m, will be vying for a top position.

Monae Nichols, Marthe Koala, and Quanesha Burks will also be competing. With such a strong field, Davis-Woodhall will need to put in a maximum effort to secure a top finish.