Paris 2024: Hunter Woodhall says 'Prepare to be amazed!'
Para athletics superstars including Woodhall and Markus Rehm tell us why the Paris 2024 Paralympics will be unmissable viewing 27 Aug 2024
USA star Hunter Woodhall has told fans to expect jaw-dropping sporting and emotional highs when Para athletics get underway at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Woodhall saw a personal magical moment go viral at the Olympics, when he celebrated his wife Tara Davis-Woodhall's long jump gold medal with her trackside in the French capital.
Now, Woodhall is hoping to add his own chapter to the family fairytale as he competes in the 100m T64 and 400m T62.
With German Para long jump icon Markus Rehm setting a personal target of leaping further than men’s Olympic gold medal winner Miltiadis Tentoglou, and a host of Para athletes chasing world records, Woodhall is tipping excitement levels to go through the Stade de France roof once competition begins on 30 August.
Woodhall told fans: “Come and expect to see what the human body is capable of.
“We’re having conversations about somebody in the Paralympics potentially jumping farther than they did in the Olympics. It shows the progress of the Paralympics and how athletically talented we are and the results we can have.
“Even more than that though, come and see people achieving their dreams. A lot of the moments that went viral in the Olympics were filled with emotion and you can see that happiness, excitement and dedication that goes into winning.
“You see those moments come to life and it will be the same for the Paralympics. There will be some awesome athletic moments and also some emotional moments as well.
“It’s important to know how hard everyone at these Games works. We train every single day just like the Olympians – we're prepared for this, we’re ready for this and a lot of people have dedicated their entire lives to this.”
German star Rehm will be competing at his fourth Games in Paris, having won Para long jump gold at London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, as well as adding a 4x100m T42-46 relay triumph at the first of those events.
His place in Paralympic history is already assured, but Rehm now wants to set a new marker by jumping further than this year’s Olympic men’s winner Tentoglou did earlier this month.
Rehm said: “Obviously I watched the Olympics - both long jump competitions. I was really excited to see Tara Davis-Woodhall jumping, it was a super nice competition, and I really enjoyed it.
“Of course, I watched the men’s long jump and enjoyed it lot. For me, seeing them competing gives me something in preparation for my competition.
“I do check out the distance and 8.48m is quite impressive. Last year in the World Championships I could do 8.49m, and that would be the goal, to go 8.48m plus definitely.
“It’s not just to beat anybody, it’s to bring awareness of our sport and to show people if you want to see great athletes, great results and huge jumps, you don’t just have to go to the Olympics, you can join us at the Paralympics too.”
Brazilian sprinter Gabriel Garcia will be competing in Paris for the second time this summer. Garcia was part of the Brazil men’s 4x100m relay team at the Olympics, and will now run as a guide for compatriot Jerusa Geber, who is the current world record holder in the women’s 100m T11.
Garcia believes that a host of records could tumble once Para athletics gets underway. He said: “There will be great results for athletes here. The first thing I felt when I first came to this stadium was ‘what an incredible track’.
“I think there can be many records broken in the Paralympics, and when I run with Jerusa hopefully we can do our best. Look at the power and strength that’s at this table. People need to understand the sport and see how marvellous it is. These athletes will set the stadium on fire.”
