Paris 2024: Caitlin Parker used an Aussie favourite to fund her history-making Olympics

An Aussie pub staple has played an unlikely role in the medal dreams of a Victorian boxer who now stands on the cusp of Olympic history in Paris.

Caitlin Parker is coming home from Paris an Olympic medalist. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Australia’s newest Olympic favourite Caitlin Parker punched her ticket to Paris with meat trays, wine baskets, t-shirts, memorabilia and the support of a proud community.

Parker will become the first Australian female boxer to win an Olympic medal after she defeated Moroccan Khadija Mardi in Sunday’s quarter-final.

Training three times a day, six days a week wasn’t enough to fully secure Parker’s spot at her second Olympic Games, as she had to fund the bid for history herself.

Parker, from Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, spent two nights a week for six months selling raffle tickets to raise money.

She immersed herself among the locals at the Dromana Hotel and Peninsula Club every Thursday and Friday.

Parker became such a regular, the small community started to give back.

As Phillip Chambers – a member of the RSL – told this masthead, winners would often donate the winning ticket back to be auctioned off for more money.

Parker reacts to her quarter-final win. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP)

“We sold meat tray tickets, we sold her shirts, we got boxing gloves signed, raffled wine baskets,” Chambers said.

“She worked solidly for I would say for six months, every Thursday and Friday either at the Peninsula Club or Dromana Hotel.

“We always had someone there if she couldn’t because she was away competing, people just jumped in and around we went again.

“We would make around $600 a night and more when people would win and auction it off.

“At the end of the night people would come up and say ‘here’s 50, here’s 100, I don’t want your tickets’.

“We all got together as a community.”

Parker (middle) with the lucky winners of one of her raffle prizes. Picture: Archivist Media

Once the raffle tickets raised enough to send Parker to Paris, the community got started on another ticket.

Parker’s partner Kevin suffered a serious knee injury playing football and was unable to work while she set her sights on Paris.

But the community rolled up their sleeves and sold more tickets.

“It was amazing to get her boyfriend over with her,” Chambers said.

“Boxing is a very tough sport, she would’ve certainly had her team around her but there’s nothing better than having family with you.

“We raised over $31,000 … the support down here has been enormous.”

Caitlin Parker (middle) stands with some of the locals who helped her get to Paris. Picture: Archivist Media

Chambers said the locals got behind Parker because she was “just an amazing story”.

He can vividly recall the day Parker met with him to pitch her fundraising idea.

“I got a phone call, it was a girl named Caitlin,” he said.

“She goes ‘I am a woman boxer’ and I thought ‘woman boxer? Who am I going to meet here?’

“She was just a lovely, lovely girl – by the time the conversation had finished I had tears coming down my eyes the way she was explaining how hard it was to compete.

“Six days of training, three times a day and to find money for rent, food, travel, her boyfriend played footy and did his knee and was off from work for three months.

“It just goes to show, the pressure she was under, to come out after that and do what she’s done, it’s just an amazing story.”

Parker is guaranteed to medal but a win on Friday morning (6:02am AEST) would propel her into the gold medal fight.