The magic number in the women’s long jump is seven. Crossing the 7-meter mark ranks an athlete among the world’s best and makes them a true contender for the gold medal at the Olympics.
Tara Davis-Woodhall, the reigning world indoor champion, is one of the few current athletes able to surpass this benchmark.
According to World Athletics, she achieved the feat multiple times this year, including at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, clinching the title with a 7.07-meter jump, and then at the USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, setting a personal best of 7.18 meters.
The world record of 7.52 meters, set by Galina Chistyakova of the former Soviet Union in 1988, remains unbroken after 36 years, per World Athletics.
Despite her impressive credentials, Davis-Woodhall faced a dramatic challenge at this year’s Olympic track and field trials. Her participation in the Paris Games hinged on a single decisive jump.
After scratching her first two attempts by stepping out of bounds, Davis-Woodhall risked disqualification if she failed on her third try.
However, she managed to eek out a place on the board with a 6.64-meter jump, securing fifth place and granting her three additional attempts during finals.
“It was honestly one of the scariest moments of my career,” Davis-Woodhall said in a post-competition interview. “But I did not let that get to my head. I had to stay focused. I had to stay present.”
“I had to work my way up from there,” she continued. “That was a lot of emotions.”
Her elation at making it into the finals can be seen as she came away from her third jump even though it was not her best performance.
During the finals, Davis-Woodhall found her rhythm and soared to a 7-meter jump, edging out Jasmine Moore’s 6.98-meter effort to secure her spot on the Olympic team.
