It's the most amazing experience ever. To have this kind of support back home and helping me get through these hard times is really amazing. To have this country on my chest and be able to represent that makes it worthwhile. – Hunter Woodhall
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Syracuse High senior and double amputee Hunter Woodhall won a silver medal Monday in the Paralympics, just hours after suffering heartbreak in the 400-meter relay.
“It’s so hard to put into words,” said Woodhall, who crossed the finish line in 21.12 seconds. “It’s the most amazing experience ever. To have this kind of support back home and helping me get through these hard times is really amazing. To have this country on my chest and be able to represent that makes it worthwhile.”
Woodhall lost both his legs to amputation below the knee due to a congenital defect called fibular hemimelia, a condition in which the fibula fails to fully form. He was just a fraction of a second behind gold medalist Liam Malone, New Zealand, who earned a personal best of 21.06 in the race. Germany’s David Behre earned bronze by finishing in 21.41 seconds.
Former Syracuse track coach Roger Buhrley, who coached Woodhall his freshman and sophomore seasons, said his time is the fastest fully automatic time ever run by a Utah high school athlete.
“His time was incredible,” Buhrley told the Deseret News. “He has spent most of the summer at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego and you can see the result. He said they have really worked on his mechanics, strength, nutrition, everything. … He was closing at the end and just about got the gold."
Woodhall earned the silver medal just two hours after he and the 400-meter relay team won gold, only to be disqualified for an early hand-off.
“We had an early hand-off, just before the zone,” said Hunter, who ran the anchor leg. “I think it was the second to third exchange. It was heartbreaking after you break a world record and get a gold medal.”
He didn’t have much time to recover from the disappointment of being disqualified before he had to line up for the 200-meter finals. But he was able to regroup and run a personal best, with the support of his teammates.
“I’m really excited to be able to bounce back from the disappointment of the 4x100,” he said. “Just going through that emotional roller coaster — top of the world and brought back down. My teammates said, ‘Don’t let it bother you.’ I had to reset the brain and didn’t have much time.”
Woodhall, who grew up playing everything from soccer to wrestling to football, competed Monday afternoon in the 200-meter T-43/44 category. Woodhall has risen quickly through the adaptive sports ranks and is an ambassador for Shriners Hospital for Children in Salt Lake City. He works with the doctors at Shriners to build and refine his prosthetic running legs.
He hopes Monday’s success is just the beginning of his career on the track.
“I’m only 17 and have lots of years to come, but to be able to come out here and do that is amazing,” he said. “It’s an upgrade from bronze from worlds, and the times are so much faster, so much more competitive. Good job to all of my competitors because we put on a show out there tonight.”
Woodhall is also a Utah state champion in the 400 meters, a title he won just a few months ago during the 2016 track season. He won the Male High School Athlete of the Year award at the Governor's State of Sport Awards a month before that.
Woodhall has a chance for one more medal, as he will compete in the 400-meter sprint on Wednesday and Thursday.
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