"Set your life on fire, seek those who fan your flames" - Rumi
Personal Details
- Nickname:
Pepsi
- Home town:
Melbourne/Brisbane
- Occupation / Area of Study / Work:
Teacher
- Hero / Most Admired Athlete:
Shane Kelly
- Date of birth:
24 April 1980
Sporting Details
- Event(s) / Discipline:
Individual Pursuit, Scratch Race, Time Trial
- Home Club:
St Kilda Cycling Club
- Disability:
Multiple Sclerosis
- Olympic / Paralympic History:
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games | Gold & WR Individual Pursuit Silver Road Time Trial
- World Championships History:
2020 Track Cycling World Championships: 1st Individual Pursuit, 1st Scratch Race, 1st Omnium, 4th 500m Time Trial.
2019 Track Cycling World Championships: 1st Individual Pursuit, 3rd Scratch Race, 4th 500m Time Trial,
2019 Road World Championships: 1st Time Trial, 5th Road Race.
2018 Track World Championships: 2nd Individual Pursuit
- Sporting Highlights:
- Winning Paralympic Gold in the IP
- Breaking the World Record Individual Pursuit
- Winning 3 World Championship titles in 1 day (2020 Track World Championships)
In 2007, following the sudden onset of numbness throughout her body, Emily Petricola was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She was 27. Subsequent and frequent MS attacks severely impacted her ability to function as she had before. Further debilitating symptoms – including extreme fatigue, temporary loss of sight, foot drop, pain, tremors, tingling and numbness through her body – rendered basic tasks challenging and incapacitated Emily for a number of years.
Having always been involved in sporting pursuits before the onset of MS, and encouraged by her network of supporters, Emily remained determined to participate in physical activity. In 2015, her friend and colleague, two-time Olympian Matt Ryan, offered to oversee her training along with another good friend, five-time Olympic cyclist Shane Kelly, and emboldened Emily to dream big. The seed of the Tokyo Paralympic dream was sown!
Emily made her national team debut in 2018 at the Track World Championships and won a bronze medal in the 500m Time Trial and a silver medal after breaking the world record in qualifying in the Individual Pursuit. From there she has gone on to win a further four world titles on the track and her first world championship title on the road in the Individual Time Trial in 2019.
Credit: Paralympics Australia
