Nearly 500 T-shirts were made in support of Hunter Woodhall before he flew to Rio de Janeiro a few weeks ago. On the front, a silhouette of him in mid-stride, the prosthetics on each leg pushing him toward that next step; across the shoulders, a quote he's delivered to always serve as a reminder: "They told me I would never walk … so I learned to run instead."
At 17, the Syracuse High senior has already made a living of dashing by the obstacles put in his way. Born with a congenital defect known as fibular hemimelia (a condition in which his fibulas in his lower legs never formed), Woodhall underwent a double amputation below his knees when he was 11 months old.
The youngest athlete in his classification at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, Woodhall anchored the U.S. men's 4x100 relay team to a world-record time. First Paralympic final, first place, a gold medal on its way, the Utahn held his arms out to each side belting out a celebratory roar after blowing by the finish line.
As swiftly as the gold was won, it was suddenly gone. The Americans were later disqualified for a handoff outside the exchange zone on the second exchange inside Olympic Stadium. In the stands, Barb Woodhall saw the dejection hit. But her son had one more race that night in Brazil.
"He had to grow up, which he's used to," she said. "He's done it so much."
Woodhall managed to shrug off that shock by running a personal-best in the men's 200-meter sprint final. His 21.12-second run earned a silver medal the same night. Three days later, he won another medal — a bronze — in the men's 400-meter final event. Quite the haul for a kid who four months ago won his first Utah state title at the state track and field championships in May.
"I thought what would stand out was the medals, all my performances and that kind of thing," he said. "But now that it's over and kind of looking back, the thing that's stood out to me is the overwhelming support back home, my coaches and my family. I think that's really what's going to stick with me. Medals are medals. You're going to get them at every meet."
Now comes the adjustment period. After all those training sessions, shuttle rides around Rio and flights, Woodhall is back home. On Thursday morning, he started his senior year of high school with a class at 7:30 a.m.
"He's ready for home," Barb Woodhall said. "To be able to be a teenager again."
And the hometown support for the rising Paralympic star has been second-to-none. Syracuse High packed the auditorium with members of the student body, faculty and more to watch Woodhall's races. On Sept. 15, the Ogden Standard-Examiner reported Syracuse Mayor Terry Palmer and the city council declared that day as "Hunter Woodhall Day."
The Syracuse community has its own welcome home bash planned for Saturday morning. Barb Woodhall has heard that the turnout could reach as many as 500 attendees supporting her son at the Syracuse High football field. And she wouldn't be surprised if it exceeds that.
Despite being one of the youngest athletes at the Paralympics, medals in Rio were realistic, Woodhall felt. So he moved to Chula Vista, Calif., at the conclusion of his junior year of high school to prepare for Brazil, where he eventually qualified in both the 200- and 400-meter events. He was in Utah all of three days the summer before his senior year.
Before moving to Southern California and earning a spot on the U.S. Paralympic Team, Woodhall and his parents ironed out his class schedule. Globetrotting, he admits, is a luxury that comes along with his athletic ability.
"But there's no place like home — there's a lot of truth in that," he said. "To get home and comfortable, it's going to be refreshing."
Over the next few months, Woodhall will have some down time to decompress after Rio, but he knows winter will be over in a flash. Then with spring around the corner, the two-time Paralympic medalist has a state title to defend next May.
"I hope that I can inspire somebody else to do something amazing and just follow their dreams," he said.
ckamrani@sltrib.com
Twitter: @chriskamrani
