“They said I would never walk"- Overcoming adversities, Hunter Woodhall shares an inspirational message

Hunter Woodhall became an epitome of inspiration, overcoming the loss of his legs at a young age to become a professional track athlete. Woodhall's determination paid off in the 2024 Paralympics, where he won the gold medal in the 400m event.

Hunter Woodhall was born with fibular hemimelia, a defect where a child is born with a few or no fibula (the smaller bone on the outside of the lower leg). The health professionals amputated his legs when he was just a year old, and shortly after the surgery, the Paralympian received his first pair of prosthetic legs. He gradually inclined towards his passion for track and replaced his legs with carbon fiber blades.

Having made his international debut at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships, Hunter Woodhall competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning silver in the 200m T44 and bronze in the 400m T44. The 25-year-old continued his momentum at the NCAA level, earning three-time All-Americans in the 4x400m and a lifetime best in the 400m. He then competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won the 400m T62 bronze, topping up with the gold in the same at the 2024 Paris Games.

As noted by digital creator Geoff Lowe, Woodhall shared an inspirational message, slamming trolls who didn't believe he would ever walk by learning to run instead. His reply read:

"They said I would never walk, so I learned to run instead.”

At the Paris Games, the Paralympian clinched his first gold medal, days after his wife Tara Davis-Woodhall made it to her first pole spot in the long jump in the Paris Olympics.

The couple has supported each other since they first met and even trains under the same coach in Arkansas.

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Hunter Woodhall on getting bullied - "That was a really tough time for me"

Hunter Woodhall after winning bronze at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games - (Source: Getty)

After Hunter Woodhall completed homeschooling, he shifted to a public school in the fifth grade, only to get bullied by his peers because of his disability. In a 2021 interview, he recalled the difficult days when he just kept to himself and didn't find any motivation.

"That was a really tough time for me. Through those years, I really didn't talk to anybody about it and didn't tell my parents or my family. I kind of just kept it to myself. There wasn't much navigation at all through those years, it was just me dealing with it and trying to get through, day by day."

He also shared how his parents set aside money for his and his brother's track training despite being financially unstable at that time.

"At the time we were not in a great place financially. [My parents] would even make sure that we're putting aside money to get me and my brother in with a trainer to help us get better...they would sacrifice and put themselves in an uncomfortable position to make sure we had what we needed," he said to People.

Woodhall added two silver medals at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in his wall of fame, one in 100m T64 and the other in 400m T62.