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Meet the Olympic Couples Cheering Each Other to the Finish Line
What better place for America’s sweethearts to go for gold than in France’s City of Love.
When we think of the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympic Games, we’re immediately reminded of the greatness of recent Olympiads and the talented athletes whose triumphant performances are forever seared into our brains. From the gold medal-winning trifecta of Suni Lee, Gabby Douglas, and Simone Biles in women’s artistic gymnastics, to LeBron James hammering home monstrous dunks on the hardwoods and on down to former Olympian and the amphibious titan of the pool Michael Phelps, who’s rewritten history, sans gills, more times than we can count, Team USA’s brightest stars continue to amaze us as they seek to fulfill their bold dreams of adding Olympic golds to their legacy under the banner of the Stars and Stripes.
But this is Paris, France, people! Yes, it’s the City of Lights, but it’s also the City of Love. Featured in numerous books, films, shows, songs, and art, the city’s storied history of romance has made it an undeniable destination for lovers and couples from all backgrounds since nearly the dawn of its inception in the late third century B.C.
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Now, as the best-of-the-best prepare to test their mettle against stellar athletes from around the globe, the world of elite international competition and amour are colliding in a once-in-a-lifetime intersection for a select handful of romantically connected athletes. Here’s a look at the supportive significant others who, come hell or high water, will be cheering each other on at the Olympics this July in not just a date with destiny, but with each other.
Abbey Weitzeil and Michael Jensen
Brought together via their watery domain at the University of California, Berkley, five-time Olympic medalist Abbey Weitzeil and NCAA champion Michael Jensen are a powerhouse swimming couple poised to make a big splash in Paris and an even bigger one come September 21, 2024 when they get married in Napa, California, according to TheKnot. While Weitzeil is focused and excited to compete in her third Olympiad with Jensen by her side — she previously medaled at both Tokyo and Rio — marrying her long-time beau will be nothing short of amazing.
"I've always said my dream for my wedding is to dance all night long," Weitzeil told TheKnot. "I want to celebrate. To be with all of our friends is what I'm so excited for."
Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall
As track phenoms Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall prepare for the ensuing 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, now seasoned vets, they’re headed to Paris as a unified front, having tied the knot in October 2022. For the Arkansas-based dynamic duo, supporting each other throughout their athletic journeys means everything.
"It definitely makes it fun because I get to watch him while he goes," recounted Tara to E! Online "And then he gets to watch me. So it's not that we're out of sort of what each other's doing."
Having previously placed sixth in the long jump at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Tara’s training to go the distance in Paris with the help of her husband Hunter, a three-time Paralympic medalist, who never let his congenital birth defect of fibular hemimelia slow him down.
"If one of us had a really good practice, we might sit all afternoon and just talk about how great it was," said Hunter to E! "One, just to hype each other up and build that confidence and excitement and then, two, to cue some of those things that we could continue to work on."
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Having her partner Hunter by her side in France is a welcome change for Tara, who didn’t get to mingle with Hunter in Tokyo, due to the COVID pandemic restrictions.
“I do feel more joy now than I did in [the lead-up to] Tokyo,” she revealed to Olympics.com. “Now, I’m living with my husband in Arkansas, and we just enjoy life to the fullest. We have so much fun with everything that we do.”
Sandi Morris and Tyrone Smith
While the high-flying, two-time Olympian Sandi Morris has literally seen her pole vaulting career soar to incredible heights — her silver medal from Rio is all the proof you need _ her relationship with her husband Tyrone Smith, a three-time (2008, 2012 and 2016) Olympic long jumper from Bermuda, keeps her grounded while motivating her to continue to build on her past success.
"He's the hardest worker I've ever met in my life, and he's so intelligent," Morris gushed to PEOPLE in 2021. "When you're with someone who's so successful, you're like, 'Okay. I can't slack off. I got to step up to the plate and be worthy of this awesome person that I'm with.' We inspire each other."
Gerek Meinhardt and Lee Kiefer
Some might say the pen is mightier than the sword, but don’t tell that to married Olympic fencers Gerek Meinhardt and Lee Kiefer. Considering Meinhardt, who’s currently ranked second in men’s foil, is a four-time Olympian with two bronze medals (2016, 2020) under his belt, and Kiefer made history at the Tokyo Games by becoming the first American — male or female — to capture a gold in the foil event, both have a lot of expectations for themselves as they head into the 2024 Paris Games. The key to channeling that pressure, Meinhardt explains, is the same crucial element fencers must possess in the competitive arena, known as the piste: balance.
“She pushes me in ways to help me out of my comfort zone, her intensity inspires me,” revealed Meinhardt to Team USA. “And I try to help her find the balance of not overdoing things. It’s about reaching your potential, and I think we bring a lot to each other in different ways.”
Kiefer doesn’t hold back either when showering her better half with praise and crediting him for her success in the sport.
"Gerek is my biggest inspiration," revealed Kiefer to Olympics.com. "I guess one of the reasons I fell in love with him is because I love his fencing. It is so dynamic, so creative. And, yeah, I think it's made me a better fencer myself."
Kiefer and Meinhardt both plan to pursue careers in the medical field after the Paris Games — both have been studying at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine. However, Kiefer, whose father fenced at Duke, isn't entirely sure what will come after what will be her fourth and his fifth Olympiad.
"Most likely, we will set down our foils,” Kiefer stated to Olympics.com. “We’ll take a step back from fencing, but life is also crazy. So, I'm not locked in, and I'm not going to beat myself up about changes.”
