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"I've dreamed of this moment my entire life,
four years old when I started track and field," Davis-Woodhall
said.
"I've been telling myself all year: '8-0-8 (Aug. 8), that's the
day we win the Olympics.'"
American Jasmine Moore jumped 6.96 to secure her second bronze
of the Games, after finishing third in the triple jump.
Davis-Woodhall, who has the word "sacrifice" tattooed on her
body, had victory locked up before her final jump after the
30-year-old Mihambo ran through the pit on her sixth attempt.
The American choked back tears before her last sprint down the
runway. She stood up briefly after landing, then fell back into
the sand with a wide smile to the delight of the Stade de France
crowd.
"I just couldn't keep it together, I was screaming in my head,"
said Davis-Woodhall, on what was going through her mind on her
final jump. "I had the crowd in my hands, and that's what I
dreamed of. I made people watch long jump."
Davis-Woodhall, who was sixth at the Tokyo Olympics, tasted
global victory for the first time when she won the world indoor
title in March.
But that could not compare to an Olympic gold medal, and the
elated athlete made a beeline for the trackside crowd, leaping
into the arms of her husband and Paralympic sprinter Hunter
Woodhall. She then hugged coach Travis Geopfert.
"They were just so proud of me, they couldn't believe it," she
said. "Actually they could believe it. I kept saying 'I can't
believe it, I can't believe it.' I'm proud of myself."
The bubbly former University of Texas jumper rang the stadium's
victory bell in a cowboy hat and draped in an American flag.
Asked how she planned to celebrate, Davis-Woodhall said: "I've
got to go find my husband, we'll have some tequila shots or
something."
Hunter Woodhall will compete at the Paris Paralympics, which
start later this month.
Mihambo was suffering breathing problems after the event and
taken off the track in a wheelchair. German media said she had
COVID-19 two months ago and was still feeling the effects.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris and Ed Osmond) [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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