"All of my other shortcomings prepared me for this"-Hunter Woodhall pens heartfelt message as he reflects on his first gold medal at Paris Paralympics

Hunter Woodhall penned a heartfelt message reflecting on his struggles over the last thirteen years as he won his first Paralympic Gold medal in the French capital. The American athlete won the gold medal in the men's 400m T-62 in the Paris Paralympics after defeating the defending champion Johannes Floors.

Hunter Woodhall marched into the Paris Paralympics in peak form, breaking the American record in the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Trials in the men's 400m T-62. The American athlete displayed great grit and dedication as he held on to the final moments of the race to clinch his first Olympic gold medal in a close finish.

Woodhall clinched the gold medal after clocking 46.36s, Johannes Floors won the silver medal after clocking 46.90s and Olivier Hendriks took home the bronze medal with a performance of 46.91s. The American athlete took to Instagram to reflect on his journey as an athlete after winning his first Paralympic gold medal after three consecutive appearances in the Paralympics and wrote:

"13 years competing for Majors. This is my first time ever being atop the podium🇺🇸🥇 This is my first time being the reason our anthem plays. This is my first time being a Paralympic Champion. So many emotions, mainly just grateful and proud to be an American. All of my other shortcomings prepared me for this just trusting the process and time in the process. Dreams do come true, sometimes they just take awhile. Keep fighting.

Hunter Woodhall on not achieving the desired result in the men's 400m T-62

Hunter Woodhall during Para Athletics - Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games: Day 4 - Source: Getty

Hunter Woodhall competed in three events at the Paris Paralympics - the men's 100m T-64, 400m T-62, and 4x100m universal relay. His first event was the men's 100m T-64 and he finished sixth after clocking 10.96s.

He took to Instagram to express his thoughts and was optimistic about the progress that he had made over the years in the event.

"Progress. I’m proud of the way I competed. I told myself I wanted to use the 100m as an opportunity to improve. In Tokyo I took dead last, and it wasn’t particularly close(11.28). Even though I didn’t get the result I wanted, looking back I’m proud of the progress(10.96)," he wrote.

" I lowered my PR by so much, breaking American Records. Finished the second fastest double amputee over 100m.I may not have won but I fought hard, and competed in an event I’m still not fully comfortable in. Always tough facing failure, but I’m grateful," he added.

He concluded his Paralympic campaign in the French capital with one gold and one silver medal.