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RIO DE JANEIRO — Hunter Woodall was told he would never run.
He would never compete.
He would never be an athlete.
After a congenital defect called fibular hemimelia forced his parents to amputate both legs below the knee at 11 months old, the double amputee took the challenge — and literally ran with it.
Woodhall, the defending state Class 5A 400-meter champion, won two medals at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio this week, finishing the 200-meter T44 in second place and grabbing bronze in the 400 T44.
Monday was his night to shine in the 200.
The 17-year-old senior at Syracuse High School ran just moments after competing with the men’s 400-meter relay squad. But Woodhall showed no signs of fatigue, pulling away from the pack and cruising to second place in a personal-best time of 21.12 seconds.
Watch video of his 200 final here.
In the 400, Woodhall put himself in contention through the first 300 meters, then battled New Zealand’s Liam Malone and Germany’s David Behre down the stretch before claiming bronze in 46.70.
Woodall also holds the American record in the 400 with his finals time of 47.63 seconds set at last year’s UHSAA state meet.
