"I've just been fighting for an opportunity to compete"- Hunter Woodhall opens up about his struggles as a para-athlete

Hunter Woodhall opened up about his struggles as a para-athlete. The Paralympic champion will lead the para-athletes' lineup at the Eugene Prefontaine Classic, the Eugene leg of the Wanda Diamond League.

In his conversation with the media, Woodhall revealed that his entire career revolved around an opportunity to run. He also pointed out how his detractors tried to pull him down with absurd allegations. In his words:

"I think my whole career, my whole entire life. I've just been fighting for an opportunity to compete. I've just been fighting for someone to allow me to run. There were always these conversations of 'You're cheating, you're doing this, you're doing that.' I didn't ask for any of this. I did not put the situation, I just wanted to run."

Woodhall previously reacted to the inclusion of the para events at the Eugene Prefontaine Classic by commenting on an Instagram post by FloTrack:

"LETS GOOO!!"

Hunter Woodhall will participate in the para athletics segment in the Eugene Prefontaine Classic, which has been included for the first time at this event. He won't be alone, as his wife and Olympic champion long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall will also compete in the Eugene leg of the Diamond League.

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Hunter Woodhall shares advice about his experience as a para-athlete

Hunter Woodhall talks about his experience as a para athlete [Image Source : Getty]

Hunter Woodhall had attended the Tara Davis Invitational meet with his wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall, a couple of months ago. The Paralympic champion had met a kid there, who asked how he could deal with the kids teasing him.

Woodhall remembered his struggles as a para-athlete and remarked:

“Listen buddy, everything that they're making fun of you for, anything they point out about you, when you get older, it's going to be your superpower. It's going to be what you change the world with.

"You gotta be proud of being different, you gotta be proud of looking different, doing things different, because that's what makes a difference in the world. You're exactly who you need to be so don't feel like you need to be anybody else but yourself.”

Hunter Woodhall made his Paralympic debut at the quadrennial event held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Since then, the para-athlete has won a total of five Paralympic medals, including the gold and the bronze medal he won in men's 400m [T62] and the mixed 4x100m relay, respectively, at the Paris Paralympics held last year.