We’re proud to be the fresh food partner of our Aussie athletes

Col Pearse
Swimming

Paralympian Col Pearse has a simple mantra for choosing what to eat during the 40 hours a week he spends training. “Protein, protein, protein,” he says. The swimmer likes to snack on canned tuna – with a kick. “I have 2-3 tins of chilli tuna every day – minimum,” Col says. Good thing there’s plenty on the shelves at his local Woolworths stores in Prahran and South Yarra.

Born in Echuca, Victoria, Col showed talent and passion for swimming from a young age. He moved to Melbourne in his early teens to focus on the sport.

Back in year three, Col set himself the goal of winning 10 Paralympic gold medals. At this year’s games in Paris, the 21-year-old amputee will compete in men’s 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley events. His medal tally already includes a bronze from the men’s 100m butterfly S10 at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Vanessa Low
Long jump

Paralympic gold medallist Vanessa Low can’t wait to represent Australia for a second time at this year’s games in Paris. The driven athlete has always loved running, but she embraced her passion wholeheartedly after a train accident made her a double amputee at 15, using the sport as a way to feel like herself again.

Six years later, Vanessa competed in long jump for her native Germany at the 2012 London Paralympic Games and went on to win her first silver and gold medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. She made the leap to green and gold after marrying Australian Paralympian Scott Reardon. Since winning gold for Australia with her personal best jump of 5.28m at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, Vanessa and Scott have welcomed son Matteo.

Anything goes when the mum-of-one shops the fresh produce section at her local Woolworths in Belconnen, ACT. “I really eat anything,” she says.

Ryley Batt
Wheelchair Rugby

After Paralympian Brad Dubberley visited Ryley Batt’s Port Macquarie primary school, the inspired 12-year-old – who was born without legs – decided to take up wheelchair rugby.

At 15, only two years after joining Australia’s wheelchair rugby team, Ryley became the youngest ever wheelchair rugby player to compete at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. He then won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, followed by gold at the 2012 London Paralympic Games and 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

Ryley co-captained the Steelers at the 2020 Tokyo Games and is hoping to reach the podium again in Paris. A proud ambassador for Woolworths since 2016, Ryley heads to his local store in Maroochydore for fruit and veg.

Mollie O’Callaghan
Swimming

Swimming prodigy Mollie O’Callaghan is hoping to win up to six medals at this year’s Olympic Games in Paris. She was just 17 when, as the youngest member of the Australian Olympic team, she took home a bronze and two gold medals in the relays at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

Now 20, Mollie – who grew up in Logan, south of Brisbane – will be heading to the pool ranked number one in both the women’s 100m and 200m freestyle after gold medal wins at the 2023 World Aquatic Championships. Her finish time of 01:52.85 also smashed the 200m freestyle world record for the first time in 14 years.

Smashing records starts with great fuel. When she shops at her local Woolworths store in Brookwater, Qld, she stocks up on red capsicums; her Croatian roots have given her a taste for Mediterranean cooking. She also picks up veggies to use in homemade poke bowls for a healthy pre-race meal.

Jeff Dunne
Pro breaker

Jeff “J-Attack” Dunne has a lot on his plate – and we’re not just talking about the pancakes he snacks on before a competition. The 16-year-old Aussie pro breaker puts in hours of training before and after school. Now he’s excited to be one of 32 athletes battling it out in the first-ever Olympic Breaking events in Paris.

Born in the Philippines but having grown up in Casuarina, in northern NSW, Jeff was adopted by his Australian family as a baby. His parents have supported his sporting dreams since he started breakdancing classes at the age of seven. After winning the WDSF Oceania Breaking Championships in October 2023, Jeff ranked 19th in the world in open-age competitions.

When he’s at home, Jeff fuels up with fresh produce from Woolworths in Kingscliff or Cabarita. His top vegetable pick is broccoli – “it’s full of nutrients”.

Maurice Longbottom
Rugby sevens

Nicknamed “The Magician” (or “Moz” to his mates), Maurice Longbottom scored the most points of any Australian player in the men’s rugby sevens at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Now the 29-year-old is set to charm the crowds at his second Olympic Games.

Growing up in Sydney’s La Perouse, Maurice wanted a career in rugby league but his small size held him back. But lucky for Australia, his true destiny was carved out at the 2017 Indigenous Ella Sevens event. That’s where the proud Dharawal man’s talents for a different kind of rugby were discovered – and he’s been polishing them ever since.

You might spot Maurice buying fruit for a pick-me-up at his local Woolworths store in Bondi Junction before he hits the field. “Bananas give me fuel before a game,” he says.

Riley Day
Athletics

Well before she was a semi-finalist in the women’s 200m event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, athletics star Riley Day was “the Beaudesert Bullet”. Riley was a nine-year-old Cathy Freeman super-fan when she joined her local Little Athletics in Beaudesert, Qld, capturing the attention of the athletics community with her talents on the track and impressive running times in state and national school competitions. The 24-year-old is now ranked eighth on the Australian all-time list for the 200m event, with a personal best time of 22.56 seconds.

And while she knows her way around a race track, she’s also pretty fantastic at navigating the produce section; the former fruit and veg team member at Woolworths Beaudesert is now a proud Woolworths ambassador promoting fresh food to Aussie families. With support from Woolworths, Riley relocated to Brisbane to focus on her training and the Garden City store is her local.

“My pre-race snack is always a banana,” Riley says, “and I love nectarines – they remind me of summer!”

There’s one vegetable in particular that gets Riley racing to the table, though: “sweet corn on the cob with salt – it’s a feel-good part of the meal!”