He’s our newest gold medal champion, and he eats nothing but burritos
Paris: When Korey Boddington says he has become utterly obsessed with cycling, he isn’t exaggerating.
The 28-year-old Paralympic debutant has gone so far as to eat nothing but homemade burritos for breakfast, lunch and dinner all year, just to ensure he is fuelling his body in precisely the right way for the track.
Korey Boddington celebrates his gold medal at the Paris 2024 velodrome.Credit: Getty Images
And it’s paid off. On Friday in Paris, he sprinted his way to a gold medal in the 1-kilometre time trial (C4-5) at the National Velodrome with a time of 1 minute 1.65 seconds – a breathtaking victory for someone who only took up track cycling early last year.
Boddington’s was one of three medals won that afternoon at the track, including gold for Emily Petricola, who defended her Tokyo title in the 3-kilometre individual pursuit (C4), and silver for Jessica Gallagher and Caitlin Ward in the 1-kilometre tandem time trial (B).
Boddington has an acquired brain injury and an impaired right arm from two near-death accidents in his childhood.
The first occurred when he was just 11 years old. Playing cricket with his friends, he ran across a road to fetch the ball and was hit by a van.
Korey Boddington on the track during the 1km time trial.Credit: Getty Images
“One of my mates flipped me over, and I’m spewing out blood, eyes are rolling in my head. That’s traumatic,” he said.
Boddington said he snapped several bones, lost some of his kidney and liver, and sustained nerve damage in his right arm, causing a dropped wrist for many years.
Then, aged 15, he was in a serious motocross crash that caused a severe brain injury and permanently harmed the muscles and function of his right arm and shoulder.
He was in a coma for about three weeks and had to wear a tracheostomy tube to help him to breathe for years.
Korey Boddington with the Australian flag after his win.Credit: Getty Images
“It was life over limb,” he said. “My arm froze up and suffered, but they (the doctors) kept me alive.”
Up until early 2023, Boddington only used a bicycle for commuting and the occasional lunchtime ride. But he was always most excited for his finishing sprint, so he gave the velodrome a spin.
“I just got hooked,” he said.
“There’s something about absolutely giving it your all, absolutely rinsing yourself, just leaving nothing. I love it. I’m a sucker for the pain.”
He was a natural, winning four national titles at the Australian championships in Melbourne in December. Before that, he had never even left Queensland.
While his coaches were eyeing off LA 2028, he remembers telling himself: “I’m going to Paris.”
“I didn’t say anything out loud because I didn’t want to make a fool of myself, but I backed myself.”
Boddington said he had come a long way in the short time.
“It’s incredible. My starts were so bad [at first],” he said.
“You wouldn’t believe how much you use your arms to ride a bike, especially jumping out of the gate.”
Boddington, who has the nickname “Flying Burrito”, said that as a professional accountant who enjoyed spreadsheets, he made himself a meal plan which just happened to be centred on burrito wraps.
“I really like routines, especially coming into this,” he said.
“I eat a burrito for breakfast, a burrito for lunch and a burrito for dinner. Even here, I’m still eating burritos.”
It was an emotional win for Emily Petricola.Credit: Getty Images
Petricola speeds her way to gold
Minutes after Boddington’s win, 44-year-old Petricola also clinched gold when she lapped her opponent, New Zealander Anna Taylor, with a few hundred metres left to go of the 3-kilometre final.
Earlier in the day, Petricola set a new world record in her qualifier with a time of 3 minutes 35.856 seconds.
It was an emotional win. Petricola, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 27, said the disease had recently flared up, causing spasms in her back, left leg, abdomen and neck.
Emily Petricola sped her way to gold despite her challenging two months.Credit: Getty Images for PNZ
“It’s been a really tough last eight weeks… so this [win] was no guarantee for me,” she said.
“It’s only been because of medical staff back at home, and here. I’ve been on the physio table once or twice a day since we’ve travelled just to be able to make it to the start line.”
Petricola, who has been in the national cycling team since 2018, is a five-time world champion in the 3-kilometre individual pursuit and now back-to-back Paralympic gold medallist.
Petricola tearfully embraced her family and friends in the audience, saying they had seen her at “her very worst”.
Tandem team Jessica Gallagher (right) and Caitlin Ward took out silver.Credit: Getty Images
“I just feel so incredibly proud that I was able to do this and give them this moment, so that they can also see the very best, despite everything.”
Next to secure an Australian medal was Gallagher, who has a vision impairment and is competing at her fifth Paralympics on a tandem bike with her sighted pilot, Caitlin Ward. The pair was only just pipped for gold by half a second by the British.
Gallagher said she was over the moon with the result. Her last appearance at the Paralympics was Rio 2016.
“It’s incredible because I didn’t think I would be back here, if I’m honest,” she said. “When you’ve won a world championship, silver medal in 2019, and then you’re removed from the team because there’s no pilot available for you, it’s devastating.”
Ward explained that she and Gallagher live in different states, yet still made their pairing work. “We wanted this so much, but it wasn’t possible without all of our family support.”
The victories at the velodrome on day two of the Paris Games bring Australia’s total gold medals to three, after swimmer Tom Gallagher won the 50-metre freestyle the day before.
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