Texas Ex Tara Davis-Woodhall Qualifies for Second Olympics

Several Texas Track and Field stars are making their way to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Jun 8, 2024; Eugene, OR, USA; Ackelia Smith of Texas wins the women's triple jump at 47-7 3/4 (14.52m) during the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NCAA long jump collegiate record holder Tara Davis-Woodhall clinched a spot in her second Olympic Games at the USA Track and Field Team Trials.

Davis-Woodhall transferred to Texas in 2019 after a season with Georgia and stayed in Austin until 2021. The same year she retired from collegiate sports, Davis-Woodhall made her Olympic debut in Tokyo. She placed sixth in the women's long jump at the Olympic final with a best distance of 6.84 meters.

After a fifth-round jump of seven meters in the 2024 trials, she earned the USA national title and a ticket to Paris. Davis-Woodhall is the first Longhorn to earn a berth to the Olympics twice in her career, and just the second to be a two-time Olympian in the long jump after Richard Duncan for Canada in 1996 and 2000.

Davis-Woodhall will be joined in France by several current Longhorns and fellow graduates from the program.

Back-to-back NCAA long jump champion Ackelia Smith secured a spot in Paris for Jamaica and will be competing against Davis-Woodhall. Smith is a rising senior at Texas.

For Canada, sprint hurdler Mariam Abdul-Rashid earned her spot in the 100-meter hurdle with a time of 12.83.

Another experienced Texas Ex joining Team USA in Paris is Ryan Crouser, who holds the shot put title in Tokyo and Rio. Crouser graduated from Texas shortly before his first trip to the Olympic Village in Rio 2016. The 2024 games could be his third consecutive gold medal in the category.

Four Longhorns await their futures in the finals. Rising sophomore Ackala Garrett will be battling for a spot on June 30 after earning the final qualifying spot with a time of 55.34 in the 500-meter hurdle. In the 200-meter prelims, former Texas star Lanae-Tava Thomas and senior Kevona Davis both earned a spot in the category finals with times of 23.04 and 23.37.

Former Longhorn Stacey-Ann Williams is also moving to the finals in the 400-meter dash after winning Heat 3 with a time of 50.93.

All of the finals will happen on Sunday, June 30.