Tara Davis-Woodhall leaped a personal-best 23 feet, 6 3/4 inches on her fifth attempt to win the women’s long jump at the U.S. Track and Field indoor championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 18, 2024.[1] This comes just one year after Davis-Woodhall’s title was stripped for violating the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules. Davis-Woodhall tested positive for THC, a chemical found in cannabis, marijuana and hashish.[2] Cannabis, marijuana, and hashish are all substances that are prohibited under WADA.[3] Her positive test was from a sample collected in competition at the 2023 USA Track and Field indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 17.[4] It just so happened that on this day she had won the long jump title with a jump of 6.99 meters.[5] The positive test meant that Davis-Woodhall lost her title, as she was disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to February 17, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.[6] Per WADA rules, THC allows for a reduced three-month suspension if the athlete establishes the substance was taken out of competition and unrelated to sport performance.[7] This is exactly what Davis-Woodhall did, as well as taking a substance abuse treatment program, which is why her suspension was reduced to one month.[8]
Davis-Woodhall’s leap in the 2024 USA Track and Field indoor championship was the longest indoor jump in the world this year, the second longest in U.S. women’s history and placed her at sixth all-time in the world rankings.[9] Davis-Woodhall led the event for most of the way, leaping 22-4 1/4, 22-1 and 22-3 ¾, on her first 3 jumps. On the 5th attempt, Jasmine Moore passed Davis-Woodhall, leaping 22-9; Davis-Woodhall then responded with the record-breaking jump and then went 23-0 on her final attempt.[10]
Davis-Woodhall has an extensive track history, as she competed in college at Georgia and the University of Texas where she broke the U.S. college record in the long jump with a leap of 23-5 1/2.[11] She also won the silver medal at the 2023 World Track and Field Outdoor Championships at Budapest, Hungary with a leap of 22-8; and finished sixth in the long jump at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 at 22-5 1/4.[12] Davis-Woodhall is set to attend the track and field Olympic Trials this year at the University of Oregon, in hopes of returning to another Olympic Games to try and win a medal.
[1] Tara Davis-Woodhall wins U.S. indoor long jump title | Local Sports | heraldbanner.com
[2] US long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall stripped of national title after positive cannabis test | CNN
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Id.
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[9] Tara Davis-Woodhall wins U.S. indoor long jump title | Local Sports | heraldbanner.com
[10] Id.
[11] Id.
[12] Id.
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