Video: Utah runner with prosthetic legs sets state record
See Syracuse senior Woodhall shatter state 400 mark going away.
Hunter Woodhall of
Syracuse (Utah) was born with a congenital birth defect called fibular hemimelia, a condition where all or part of the fibula is missing. Doctors didn't believe he'd ever learn to walk.
They didn't mention anything about him running, let alone being a record-setter.
On April 29, Woodhall defied the odds, like he's done his entire life, and set the Utah state record in the 400-meter dash with a time of 46.56 seconds, the 10th fastest time in the country this season, according to
athletic.net.
According to the
Deseret News, he shattered the previous state mark of 47.00, set in 2014 by Trevor Leavitt of Davis. Woodhall, who has two prosthetic legs, also bettered his 46.70 PR set while taking the bronze medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The senior is a true inspiration to high school athletes — and he's just getting started. On Thursday, he begins his quest for a state title with a regional meet in Davis.
"I feel like it is a step in the right direction," Woodhall said of his state-record performance. "I'm not done yet. I'm going to keep working to make it all happen. But more than anything, this is a demonstration of what is possible regardless of our situation."
Woodhall said he'll make his college commitment Friday, picking between Arkansas, BYU, Long Beach State and North Carolina.
