"More important than a gold medal"- After previous struggles Tara Davis-Woodhall opens up about prioritizing her mental health as an athlete

Long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall is one of the best athletes in the world right now, having won the Olympic gold medal earlier this year in Paris. The American has consistently used her platform to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and recently spoke about prioritizing herself as a person before an athlete.

Davis-Woodhall rose to fame as a long jumper during her collegiate career, setting a world under-20 record in the 60m hurdles as a student at the University of Georgia. She later transferred to the University of Texas, where she set a collegiate record of 7.14 m in the long jump.

The 25-year-old made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games but failed to medal despite being a strong contender to end up on the podium. Since then, Tara Davis-Woodhall has been vocal about her struggles. She went on to earn her redemption at the Paris Olympics when she bagged the gold medal.

Recently, the long jumper partnered with Maybelline’s ‘Brave Together’ campaign and spoke up about the importance of mental health in track, saying,

“I'm Tara Davis-Woodhall, and I'm an Olympian. Track is 50 percent mental, and 50 percent physical. If you're not mentally there, you can't be physically there. It's important to feel beautiful, inside and out. When you look good on the track, you're going to feel good and then you're going to perform really good.”

She went on to add that her happiness was more important to her than a gold medal, explaining,

“Mental well-being means everything to me on a personal level, just because I've struggled with mental health. I'm happy now, that is more important to me than anything in the world, more important than a gold medal. At the end of the day, you only have yourself.”

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Tara Davis-Woodhall pens heartfelt note on World Mental Health Day

Tara Davis-Woodhall at the 2024 Olympic Games (Source: Getty)

For Tara Davis-Woodhall, her 2024 season has been incredible. After a second-place finish at the 2023 World Championships, the American started this year with a win at the Razorback Invitational and has gone unbeaten since.

In March, she was crowned World Indoor Champion in Glasgow before she stormed to the national title at the US Olympic Trials. She wrapped things up with her maiden gold medal at the Paris Games.

Recently, Davis-Woodhall celebrated World Mental Health Day, writing on Instagram,

“Today is world mental health day. Mental health to me is so important. I've dealt with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts. If you're dealing with this do not be afraid to reach out for help. It is not a shame to be dealing with these unfamiliar emotions. Our brains can create chaos that sometimes we don't know how to manage and that's okay.”

“Some tips to help: talk to someone, self-care, and journaling. Journaling has saved my life. Writing things down to get it out of your head. Things will get better with time. I know it may seem like you are stuck and there's no way out but there's more options out there I promise. If you're thinking of hurting yourself please call 988 a help lifeline. You're not alone. As big as this world is. You are loved and cared for. There's a light at the end of the tunnel.”

After her win at the Paris Olympics, Tara Davis-Woodhall has taken up a new role as assistant coach at the K-State University. The Olympian has shifted to Kansas for the upcoming year and fans will be eager to see how her move pays off next season.