It Was Love at First Sight When Track Athletes Tara Davis and Hunter Woodhall Met at Age 16

Published on 7/21/2021 at 5:30 PM

Tara Davis and Hunter Woodhall's love story might as well be acted out in Netflix's next rom-com. The pro athletes are on their way to the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, but back in 2017, Tara and Hunter were meeting for the first time at a track meet. The couple broke down the details about the start of their relationship in a YouTube video, and it's just as adorable as you'd expect.

It only seems appropriate that Tara and Hunter met at an athletic competition. When they were both 16, they traveled to the Simplot Games in Idaho — Tara from California and Hunter from Utah. They caught each other's attention at different times. Hunter saw Tara race the hurdles, and told his best friend, "Damn, that girl is fine. I'm gonna marry that girl." Later in the day, Tara saw Hunter stretching before his 400-meter event and sparks flew instantly. "I just saw him and was like, 'Ooh, who's that?'" Tara recalled. "I kinda just stared at him for a little bit."

The track event ended in a hug and small talk, but Tara made sure the spark didn't fizzle out. She slid into Hunter's Twitter DMs, and started a flirty chat. When their banter kicked off, Tara realized, "Oh this guy has some moves!" Social messages turned into trading phone numbers, and "a few months down the road" their relationship started picking up speed.

After months of chatting long-distance and occasional meet-ups, the couple officially went on their first date in June 2017. Tara drove two hours to where Hunter was training in Southern California, and the visit set the scene for their first kiss.

The moral of the story for Tara and Hunter? Don't be afraid to make the first move. Tara's willingness to put herself out there resulted in a love story for the ages. We can't wait to see more of Tara and Hunter in Tokyo soon.