Tara Davis and Her Journey to Becoming an Olympic Star
Texas Olympic star Tara Davis had a tough journey during her path to Olympic stardom. However, she did not let it keep her down; in fact, Tara found a way to rise above it all and reach heights that no collegiate woman has ever reached before.
Long jump Queen Tara Davis successfully left her doubters dumbfounded once she escaped the shackles of discouragement and major depression.
During her freshman year at the University of Georgia, a series of unfortunate events took place, causing a strain on Tara’s mental health. First, there was a mass shooting near her hometown of Agoura Hills, California, followed by a wildfire that distracted her and threw her off course. In addition, her parents later had a divorce.
Tara didn’t feel as if her coach at the time was either sympathetic or supportive towards her mental struggles. She also suffered a series of lower-body injuries, including a fractured foot.
Tara was able to heal through her mental struggles with the help of therapy sessions. She told Express-News “Just to get my mental health back, it was just really shot, just not knowing where I was in the world or where I stood as a competitor. But also, as a human being, I just was so lost.”
After being mocked on social media and blocked from competing by her ex-coach, Tara transferred to the University of Texas, where she connected back with Floreal, aka Coach Flo, who had been a long-time positive influence from a distance.
The collegiate record belongs to Tara.@tar___ruh | #HookEm 🤘 pic.twitter.com/OCvElJSICg
— Texas T&F/XC (@TexasTFXC) March 17, 2021
Tara broke the NCAA indoor collegiate record this past March after jumping 6.93m in the long jump at the 2021 NCAA indoor Track and Field Championships. Today, Davis is on her way to becoming Texas’ first American women’s long jumper to earn an Olympic bid for Team USA this Saturday.
“It was me being injured. It was me reading comments that I was a failure or people wished I’d failed. It was being blocked from competing by my old university.” Tara explained. “It was everything combined. When I screamed I just let out this intense roar of I’m finally back.”
It’s safe to say that Tara Davis is a tough cookie. For fans who would love to stay updated on Tara’s impressive long jump results, please visit the official Track and Field site.
