Get an inside look at Paralympian and Olympian power couple Hunter and Tara Davis Woodhall as they gear up for the Paris shift at Raising Cane’s.
Photo: Raising Cane’s
Cane’s Chicken Fingers are a family affair! Olympian Tara Davis-Woodhall and her husband, Paralympian medalist Hunter Woodhall, work the Drive-Thru and front counter at Cane’s before the Paris Olympics
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (July 10, 2024) – Power couple Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall and Raising Cane’s craveable Chicken Finger meals? Oui! This morning, the Paralympian and Olympian served Cane’s Box Combos to track and field and Chicken Finger fans at Raising Cane’s in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tara solidified her spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics at trials in late June, and her husband Hunter aims to do so at the Paralympics trials next weekend. The Paris Olympics will be Tara’s second and Hunter’s third, should he punch his ticket to Paris following the trials. If he doesn’t end up competing, Hunter said he’s headed to Paris regardless to help coach and cheer Tara on and spend some leisure time in the “City of Love” post-games.
Having previously competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics together, Tara and Hunter join the rare ranks of five couples who both competed in the same Olympic games – Summer or Winter – for team USA. Evan Bates and Madison Chock (Ice Dancing), Megan Rapinoe (Soccer) and Sue Bird (Basketball), Hailey Langland and Red Gerard (Snowboarding), and Gerek Meinhardt and Lee Kiefer (Fencing) round out this exclusive list of USA’s top athletes turned Olympic couples.
In preparation for Paris, the Woodhalls served Cane’s ONE LOVE® – craveable Chicken Finger meals – to cheering fans at Raising Cane’s at 1788 M.L.K. Jr. Blvd. in Fayetteville, where the power couple currently resides and trains. Hunter and Tara toast-ed to this year’s summer Olympics in Paris with Cane’s Chicken Fingers, buttery Cane’s toast, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, and Cane’s Sauce almost as iconic as the power couple themselves. The two swapped being fast out of the blocks and far in the air for being fast to assemble Cane’s Box Combos and far from average in speed of service as they took to the Raising Cane’s front counter and Drive-Thru, trading in medals for Cane’s craveable Chicken Finger meals.
“Hunter and Tara are an iconic Olympic couple and it was great having them out to celebrate their past victories as they look to add a few Olympic medals to their collection while in Paris,” said Raising Cane’s owner and founder Todd Graves. “They are both stellar athletes and role models within the track and field community, and I wish them nothing but continued success on and off the field.”
While working their “shift,” Tara and Hunter weighed in on what’s it’s like to be an Olympic couple.
“Love supports us both on and off the field,” said the couple. “We’ve accomplished many things that we are incredibly proud of, but none of that matters if you don’t have someone to share it with. We are incredibly fortunate!”
Photo: Raising Cane’s
The duo also spoke to Tara’s final jump in the trials to qualify for the Olympics.
“I felt so many emotions when it came down to my last jump – nervous, confident, and everything in between,” said Tara. “When it came down to it, I ran through what I’ve practiced in therapy and was able to get it done.”
“I was nervous for her, but confident she would get it done,” said Hunter regarding Tara’s final jump. “The weight of the world was on her shoulders and in that moment you know you have one chance to make your dream a reality. She’s clutch. She got it done and it was the most exciting day.”
Tara dramatically secured her spot in the Paris Olympics at the USA Track and Field Team Trials last week in Eugene, Oregon. The 2024 World Indoors champion fouled in her first two attempts, leaving her on the outside of qualifying in her third attempt. Tara turned it around with force, completing a 7.00m leap in her fifth attempt to top the leaderboard and punch her ticket to Paris. The Paris Olympics will be Tara’s second Olympics of her career, as she competed in Tokyo in 2020 with a sixth-place finish in the long jump.
Hunter will race for a spot in the 2024 Summer Games next weekend at the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials for Track & Field in Miramar, Florida. He hopes for a better outcome than last year’s World Championships, where he was on track to securing an early spot in the Paralympics before breaking one of his prosthetic legs, setting him back and prolonging his dreams of competing in his third Paralympics. This track season has looked promising for the sprinter, as he set a new American record in the 100-meter T62 on his carbon-fiber blades, clocking a time of 11 seconds flat at the outdoor season opener in California, in mid-March.
The 2024 Paris Olympics will begin with an opening ceremony unlike any other in Olympic history. On Friday, July 26, the Summer Games will kick off on the Seine River in Paris. Rather than the traditional stadium ceremony, nearly 100 boats will parade down a long stretch of the Seine, winding through Paris, passing by some of the city’s iconic bridges, landmarks, and Olympic venues, and ending near the Eiffel Tower.
The Paralympics will also take place in Paris and begin on August 28. Hunter’s primary focus at the Paralympics will be the 400m, with plans to compete in the 100m and potentially the 4x100m relay.
Paralympian, Olympian, Power Couple, Hunter Woodhall, Tara Davis Woodhall
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