It was mid September while world champion Brooke Davis-Goodall was crushing a time trial at Nerang Velodrome that her world was flipped on its head.
The Bond University Bachelor of Biomedical Science student was in a final six-week training block before the World Triathlon Championships in Torremolinos, Spain when everything went blank .
Next thing she remembers is waking up in a hospital bed wondering what on earth had happened.
Later she’d find out she’d t-boned a BMX rider who’d flown onto the track out of nowhere. The impact had caused her to flip over her handlebars and land heavily on her head.
“I don’t remember the crash,” she says.
“The BMX bike came down into the velodrome so quickly and I was up to speed in my time trial.
“I just remember waking up in a hospital bed.”
The crash left the 19-year-old with a grade three concussion and hip and shin injuries five weeks out from the biggest race of her career thus far.
“My first worry was that I wouldn’t even make it to the start line,” she says.
“It was my first international race, so it was quite upsetting.”
Davis-Goodall had to go back to square one after the crash, incorporating exercises like deep water running to get her mobility back.
“I just had to put my head down,” she says.
“I was more motivated than ever to come back and perform at the World Champs.”
And perform she did.
Not only did the gutsy teenager make it to Spain, but she also crossed the line first to be crowned World Champion in the 20-24’s swim-and-bike ‘Aquabike’ event.
Davis-Goodall competed for her homeland, New Zealand.
“One of my favourite parts of the competition was meeting the New Zealand race team over there. They really helped me out especially with this being my first international race,” she says.
“I’d never raced in a wetsuit before, so they gave me tips on how to get it off quickly in transition.”
Davis-Goodall says a fast start paid dividends.
“When the gun went off, I just went for it, the less carnage the better [in the swim leg],” she says.
Nearing the first transition, she knew she’d set herself up nicely.
“As I came to the end of my swim, I started seeing the males ahead of me who had started a few minutes before us.”
She secured her victory on the bike leg.
“I’m not sure if I would say I’m surprised, everyone goes into a race with the same mindset, hoping to win, but I am thrilled with my results.”
Davis-Goodall made the return to multi-sport racing at the beginning of the year after some time away. She says her success in Spain has inspired her to add a run to the swim and bike legs.
“My goal now is to get my running going again. I plan to do a full triathlon in Wollongong in early 2025,” she says.
The win grants Davis-Goodall automatic selection into the Triathlon World Championships in Wollongong next year.