Hunter Woodhall

Hunter Woodhall (born on February 17, 1999) is an American Track and Field athlete. He made his international debut in 2015 with a silver and bronze medal at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships, and later won a bronze and silver medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. After graduating from Syracuse High School, he became the first double amputee to earn an NCAA Division I scholarship.

Hunter Woodhall
Personal information
Born (1999-02-17) February 17, 1999
Utah, USA
EducationUniversity of Arkansas
Sport
Country USA
SportTrack and Field
Medal record
Summer Paralympics
Athletics
2016 Summer ParalympicsMen's 200 metres T4
2016 Summer ParalympicsMen's 400 metres T44

Early life

Woodhall was born in Utah on February 17, 1999,[1] with fibular hemimelia, which caused his parents to decide to amputate both his legs at 11 months old. He was homeschooled until fifth grade and upon entering public school he was bullied for his disability.[2] Although he was originally given prosthetic legs, Woodhall switched to carbon fiber “blades” for running and joined a track team.[3]

Career

While attending Syracuse High School, Woodhall competed with the United States National Paralympic Team in international competitions. He made his international debut in 2015 with a silver and bronze medal at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships.[4]

By his senior year, Woodhall was ranked 20th across America in the 400m run with a time of 47.32 seconds.[5] He competed in the 2016 Summer Paralympics where he won a bronze medal in the men's 400 meter and a silver medal in the men's 200-meter. As a result, Syracuse City’s Mayor, Terry Palmer deemed September 15 “Hunter Woodhall Day.”[6] By the conclusion of his high school education, Woodhall was named 2016 Male High School Track Athlete of the Year.[7] Upon graduating, Woodhall became the first double-amputee track and field athlete to earn a Division I athletic scholarship, which he accepted at the University of Arkansas.[8]

In his freshman year at the University of Arkansas, Woodhall competed in the SEC division alongside able-bodied runners.[9] He competed in six indoor meets, running 1:58.04 over 800 meters, and seven outdoor meets, running 47.42 over 400 meters. His times earned him a bronze medal in the 4x400 at the SEC Outdoor Championships.[10] By the conclusion of the season, he was nominated for NCAA Game Changer of the Year[5] and named a First-Team All-America in the 4x400 Relay and Distance Medley Relay.[11] During his sophomore and junior years, Woodhall ran a lifetime-best 46.22 seconds in the 400-meter at the SEC outdoor championships and became a three-time All-American in the 4x400-meter.[12] While in his junior year, Woodhall joined the video sharing app TikTok where he shared the story of how he lost his legs. As a result, he was invited to The Ellen DeGeneres Show where he was given $20,000 to help him with his 2020 Paralympic goals.[13]

References
  1. "HUNTER WOODHALL". teamusa.org. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  2. Laase, Eden (July 13, 2017). "After losing his legs shortly after birth, Hunter Woodhall found his place on the track". si.com. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  3. Underwood, Steve (February 10, 2017). "Paralympic medalist Hunter Woodhall excited to compete at NBNI". nationalscholastic.org. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  4. "Teenage Talents: Hunter Woodhall". paralympic.org. May 9, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  5. "T-Mobile Game Changer of the Year Nominee: Hunter Woodhall". flotrack.org. November 21, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  6. Park, Loretta (September 15, 2016). "Syracuse declares 'Hunter Woodhall Day' after teen gets 2nd Paralympics medal". standard.net. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  7. Tammaro, Brianna (October 19, 2016). "2016 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School All-Americans Announced". teamusa.org. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  8. Lieberman, Stuart (May 15, 2017). "Arkansas Bound, Hunter Woodhall Becomes First Double-Amputee To Earn D1 Track Scholarship". teamusa.org. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  9. Deckelbaum, Kyle (February 3, 2019). "Beyond the Game: Arkansas double amputee sprinter 'shows people what's possible'". katv.com. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  10. Lieberman, Stuart (September 6, 2018). "Hunter Woodhall, A Paralympic Medalist And D1 Sprinter At Arkansas, Looking Forward To Tough Season Ahead". teamusa.org. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  11. Mayforth, Tyler (March 11, 2019). "2019 NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field All-America Honors". ustfccca.org. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  12. Wyman, Elizabeth (April 6, 2020). "HOW HUNTER WOODHALL IS PAVING A PATH BOTH AT THE PARALYMPIC GAMES AND UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS". teamusa.org. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  13. Kelly, Madeline (January 30, 2020). "20-year-old Paralympian gets $20,000 from Ellen DeGeneres". runningmagazine.ca. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
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