Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – World and Olympic champion Tara Davis-Woodhall’s latest long jump triumph at the Eugene Diamond League athletics meeting was a triumph of will as much as skill. The 27-year-old American leapt 7.13m to win a stellar competition that saw the top three women all clear seven meters, runner-up Larissa Iapichino posting an Italian record of 7.12m.
“Just to get here was a struggle this week,” Davis-Woodhall said. “We dealing with some mental health problems. Just so you know I have depression. I have anxiety. This week was really difficult.”
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Davis-Woodhall has spoken before about battling depression, almost quitting the sport before winning Olympic gold in Paris in 2024. Her second straight Eugene Diamond League victory followed an outstanding effort at the Los Angeles Grand Prix in June, where she dominated her signature event and also won the 100m hurdles.
But even with that performance under her belt, she said that once again she’d found herself unable to imagine competing. “I couldn’t fathom just being here for some reason,” she said. “I couldn’t get myself to, like, envision it. So the fact that I showed up today, the fact that I even gave myself a chance every single time — I have to show up for myself every single day because no one else will.”
She thanked her support team, calling them “the best people in the whole world.” “I’m just lucky and blessed,” she said.
© 2024 AFP
