ATHLETES
KOREY BODDINGTON
Paralympian
Korey Boddington woke up from a three-week coma after a motorbike crash, already having survived a childhood car accident that shattered the right side of his body and left bones exposed at the scene.
Two major traumas, permanent nerve damage, stroke-like symptoms, and a right side now running at 50 to 60 percent capacity. Most people would stop there. Korey didn’t. In early 2023, with no background in competitive cycling and a full-time job as an accountant, he stepped onto a velodrome for the first time. Eighteen months later, he won Paralympic gold in the C4-5 1km time trial, broke a Paralympic record, and helped Australia to a team sprint bronze in Paris. It was only his second trip outside the country, after leaving Queensland for the first time just months earlier.
Korey’s journey is about refusing to be defined by setbacks and rewriting what’s possible when the odds say otherwise. Every ride is proof that your limits are not fixed, they are meant to be tested. From breaking an Australian record and claiming his first national title, to winning silver at his first World Championships, his rise has been fast but fueled by years of grit, resilience, and relentless belief. Now, through racing, speaking, and his growing YouTube channel, Korey is committed to sharing one message. You don’t need perfect conditions to do something extraordinary. Whatever your starting point, whatever your struggle, there is always another level in you. You just have to be brave enough to chase it.
“Changing Track isn’t about medals or finish lines. It’s about moments. The ones that break you, and the ones that make you.”
For me, para-cycling wasn’t a comeback story. It was a choice. A decision to pour everything I had into something that could pull me forward. I wasn’t trying to “overcome” anything. I just needed to move. To grow. To prove to myself that I still had more to give.
I hope people watching this film realise they don’t need to have it all together. You don’t need to wait for the right time, the perfect opportunity, or for things to get easier. You can start now. Whether you’ve had setbacks, injuries, or just feel stuck, you can still change track. I’ve spent most of my life figuring out how to keep moving forward with what I’ve got. And I’ve learnt that belief is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. If this story lights even the smallest fire in someone to fight, to try, to believe again, then we’ve done something that matters.
– Korey Boddington
Paralympian
EMILY PETRICOLA
Paralympian
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 incredibly challenging. Having been involved in sport 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 Olympic rower 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!
Three years later Emily made her national team debut at the Track World Championships, winning a silver and a bronze medal. Since then, she has captured a remarkable 10 track world championship gold medals including five straight C4 individual pursuit titles and one road time trial world championship gold medal. It was her Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020 where Emily sealed herself as one of Australian cycling’s most powerful performers. With a blistering time of 3:38.061 in the qualifying round of the women’s 3000m individual pursuit C4, she beat her previous world record before going on to win the gold medal. She then added silver in the women’s road time trial C4. Emily’s passage to Paris 2024 was plagued by injury and complications from her condition. Yet, showing amazing resilience, she made it consecutive gold medals in the 3000m individual pursuit, clocking a world record time of 3:35.856.
Being as honest as I was through the process of making this film (which was harder than I anticipated when we began), my hope is that anyone else who faces a life changing challenge can realise that just because life is changing from what you know or expect, it does not have to be a negative thing. It could in fact be something greater than you had imagined before.
“Every struggle has beauty in it, you just have to be patient and open to seeing it emerge.”
– Emily Petricola
Paralympian
KANE PERRIS
Paralympian
Kane Perris is an Australian Paralympic cyclist living with Albinism which also impacts his vision and is classified as legally blind.
Identified through a WAIS talent search in 2020, Kane’s sporting career has rapidly progressed. Kane made his debut for Australia at the 2024 UCI Track World Championships in Rio and recently culminated in selection for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games where he competed in the Men’s B 1km Time Trial finishing with a 4th place and breaking a long-standing national record. Kane has carved out a path through resilience, dedication, and a belief in the pursuit of hard things.
Outside of sport, Kane works in the disability sector and is a passionate advocate for para-athletes navigating high-performance pathways. Kane’s blended experience as an athlete and professional in the disability services industry means that he brings a lived understanding of the systems, challenges, and possibilities facing people with disabilities inside and outside of elite sport. Kane’s mission is to support others in finding strength in their own journey.
Everyone wants to win! I do too. I want it so badly, more than I can even explain. But cycling has come to mean so much more to me than just competing.
“What I love about this documentary is that it goes deeper than competition. It explores the human stories behind the athletes, who we were before sport, who we are now, and who we’re still becoming through para-cycling.”
I hope Changing Track helps audiences understand that behind every athlete is a deeper journey of identity, purpose, and persistence. For people living with a disability and especially those who feel stuck, unseen, or uncertain, I want this story to show that with the right people and a reason to move forward, it is possible to find direction again. For everyone else, I hope it builds greater respect for para-sport and reminds people that whatever they may be facing in their own life, there is always a pathway to change track.
– Kane Perris
Paralympian
LUKE ZACCARIA
Paralympic Tandem Pilot
Luke is a track cyclist and Tandem pilot in his early 30s. He began competing at the age of 13 after he was identified through a talent search program run by the Western Australian Institute of Sport.
He quickly developed a passion for speed and the sport of cycling. After many years of trying to break through into the national program on the single bike and struggling to see a path forward, Luke was approached by Warren McDonald and Cam Jennings who asked if he would like to pilot the tandem with the ultimate goal of sending a men’s tandem to the Paralympics! After seeing his good mate Tom Clarke’s successful piloting career, Luke jumped at the opportunity which also provided a new lease on life and a rebirth of his cycling career.
Luke made his international debut at the 2019 World Championships with Brad Henderson. He then paired up with Beau Wooton and competed at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth games, resulting in a bronze medal before pairing up with Kane Perris at the end of 2022 ultimately leading to the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
I have a deep interest in the ‘Human Condition’ which refers to the complexities that we as human beings all experience. It encompasses a wide range of emotions from joy and happiness to sadness and despair, and it is an ongoing understanding and exploration of one’s own experience, realising the extraordinary potential that lies within each of us.
Changing Track and the stories of Emily, Kane and Korey are nothing short of extraordinary and show everyone what capabilities lie within each of us regardless of the challenges that we face! Every day that I get to interact and have them in my life is another day that I am grateful for their presence and the impact they have on my daily life.
“I hope that everyone watching this film can see the beauty of these stories and use them as a beacon for their own lives just as I have.”
– Luke Zaccaria
Paralympic Tandem Pilot
ALSO FEATURING
ALISTAIR DONOHUE
Paralympian
LAUREN PARKER
Paralympian
CAITLIN WARD
Paralympic Tandem Pilot
GORDON ALLAN
Paralympian
ALANA FORSTER
Paralympian
MEG LEMON
Paralympian
DARREN HICKS
Paralympian
SHANE KELLY
Team Coach
SHANE PERKINS
Team Competition & Training Lead Coach
DAVID BETTS
Team Lead Road Coach
WARREN MCDONALD
Team Technical Director
ELIZA SMYTH
Team Performance Support & Physio Lead
BERTHY MAY
Team Athlete Carer
JILL LECKEY
Team Dietitian
