PETRICOLA Emily

Date of Birth: 24 Apr 1980

Age: 41

Gender: Female

Sport Class: C4

Place of residence : BRISBANE, QLD

Residence Country:

Australia

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank	Medal
Cycling Track	Women's C4 3000m Individual Pursuit	1

Records

Record	Event	Mark	Date	Location
WR	Women's C4 3000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying	3:38.061	25 August, 2021	Tokyo (JPN)
PR	Women's C4 3000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying	3:38.061	25 August, 2021	Tokyo (JPN)

Schedule

Start Time	Location	Event	Status
	Izu Velodrome	Women's C4 3000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying	Finished
	Izu Velodrome	Women's C4 3000m Individual Pursuit Final - Gold	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

CYCLING ROAD

Rank	Event	Year	Location
Road World Championships
1	C4 Time Trial	2019	Emmen, NED
5	Women's C4 - Road Race	2019	Emmen, NED
Track World Championships
1	Women's C4 - Scratch Race	2020	Milton, ON, CAN
1	Women's C4 - Omnium	2020	Milton, ON, CAN
3	Women's C4 - Scratch Race	2019	Apeldoorn, NED

CYCLING TRACK

Rank	Event	Year	Location
Track World Championships
1	C4 3000m Individual Pursuit	2020	Milton, ON, CAN
1	C4 3000m Individual Pursuit	2019	Apeldoorn, NED
2	C4 3000m Individual Pursuit	2018	Rio de Janeiro, BRA
3	Women's C4 - 500m Time Trial	2018	Rio de Janeiro, BRA
4	Women's C4 - 500m Time Trial	2020	Milton, ON, CAN
4	Women's C4 - 500m Time Trial	2019	Apeldoorn, NED

Em, Pepsi (Instagram profile, 27 Apr 2020; vis.org.au, 13 Dec 2017)

Travel, reading. (australiancyclingteam.com, 01 May 2020)

Occupation:

Sports Administrator

English Literature, History, Politics - LaTrobe University, Melbourne, VIC, AUS

Languages spoken:

English, Italian

St. Kilda Cycling Club [Australia]

She took part in her first Para cycling race in 2015 in Ballarat, VIC, Australia. (Instagram profile, 24 Oct 2018)

She was encouraged to get into the sport by Australian Olympic rower Matt Ryan, who was also her colleague at work. "I told him my issues and how desperately I wanted to get back into exercise and he came up with a plan. We put a stationary bike in the office with the A/C [air conditioning] on and a fan in my face and started small. After about six months, I was going through a really hard personal time and he said, 'You need something positive to focus on, I think you should try to make the Tokyo Paralympics team. If you work half as hard at that as you do this job, no one will get near you.' Matt knew that the woman who won the cycling time trial at the previous Paralympics had MS [multiple sclerosis] and when I saw that I went off to see if I could get classified. I could and was classified as a WC4 Para cyclist." (athletesvoice.com.au, 01 Nov 2019)

To win two gold medals at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (infocrank.cc, 12 Feb 2021)

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. (vis.org.au, 13 Dec 2017)

Coaches Shane Kelly and Matt Ryan. (athletesvoice.com.au, 01 Nov 2019)

Philosophy:

"I don't know what tomorrow will bring. All I can do is get up and force myself to do whatever I can each day, just do my best with everything I attempt despite whatever else is going on." (athletesvoice.com.au, 01 Nov 2019)

General Interest

Classification
C4 (UCI, 03 May 2021)

Type of Impairment
Impaired muscle power, Impaired range of motion (athletesvoice.com.au, 01 Nov 2019)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (athletesvoice.com.au, 01 Nov 2019)

Impairment Details
She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 27. The condition affects her in a number of ways, including left foot drop and weakness across all four of her limbs. (athletesvoice.com.au, 01 Nov 2019)

General
LIFE CHANGER
She had difficulty with the physical effects of her multiple sclerosis before meeting Australian Olympic rower Matt Ryan and Australian Olympic cyclist Shane Kelly. Ryan was one of her work colleagues, while Kelly is married to one of her friends. "I asked [Shane] if he'd help coach me. He didn't really have a choice but, in any case, he said, 'Yeah absolutely.' From that moment, we started on this path. I would never have thought that my body was capable of doing anything near what it's currently doing, the training for Paras [Para athletes] is as demanding and strenuous as it is for the able-bodied riders, just managed differently depending on the impairment. But both Matt and Shane believed it possible for me. Whenever there was a MS [multiple sclerosis] roadblock, they would find a way around it. It's no exaggeration to say that Matt and Shane saved my life. I say that because I was in such a bad place and their belief in me is the only reason that I'm doing what I'm doing today. Having something positive to focus on in that moment in my life kept me moving forward." (athletesvoice.com.au, 01 Nov 2019)

OCCUPATION
She works as a coach development co-ordinator for rowing at Brisbane Grammar School in Queensland, Australia. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Sep 2020)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has studied for a master's degree in secondary teaching at the University of New England in Armidale, NSW, Australia. (Facebook profile, 28 Dec 2017)

Social Media

Legend

:: Gold Medal
:: Gold Medal Event
:: Silver Medal Event
:: Bronze Medal Event
PR:: Paralympic Record
WR:: World Record

Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos