News Releases
ADELAIDE, South Australia (January 18, 2018) -- Bridgestone Australia (Bridgestone), a subsidiary of the world’s largest tyre and rubber company and a Worldwide Olympic Partner, and Olympic snowboarder Belle Brockhoff have teamed up to share the story of Brockhoff’s journey to the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang and return from injury last year.
Bridgestone Australia is also a partner of the Australian Olympic Committee and official team partner, and is encouraging all athletes to chase their dream as PyeongChang 2018 looms.
As part of the local activations in the lead up to this year’s Olympic Winter Games,Brockhoff suffered a huge blow to her Snowboard Cross campaign in March last year, injuring the ACL ligament in her right knee, forcing her to withdraw from a major event in Spain and return to Australia for surgery.
Bridgestone has released a poignant video from Belle Brockhoff’s perspective on what it means to chase the Olympic dream.
On her return to competition in December, Brockhoff suffered another setback – reinjuring her knee in an unfortunate fall and putting PyeongChang in doubt once more.
She admits the Olympic Winter Games has been a lifelong ambition and even from her hospital bed was determined to represent Australia in South Korea.
“The Olympics have been one of my goals for a very long time. A big goal of mine is to medal, and an even bigger goal is to win. I started skiing when I was three years old. And then I picked up a snowboard when I was ten,” Belle Brockhoff said.
“That first day when I picked up a snowboard I knew that I wanted to be the best. At that age you don’t think so much of danger, you just kind of go for it - but you have to be so incredibly present. If you’re not, you’ll really suffer the consequences for it.”
With the lead up to the Olympic Winter Games now well and truly in full swing, Belle says the last few months have been dedicated to ensuring she’s totally prepared to fulfil her aspirations.
“I had my cry, I really felt those emotions, really disappointed…And then started up a plan on how I get back on my snowboard. I’ve worked on a lot of things and when the Olympic Games finally happen, if I stick to my plan and go through the process, I’ll be ready for it,” she added.
Belle Brockhoff’s full story can be viewed here.
In addition to the company’s position as a Worldwide Olympic Partner, Bridgestone Corporation became the first Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel in August 2016. Through its four-year partnership, Bridgestone is helping to support the groundbreaking digital platform on its mission to celebrate the Olympic Movement and the world’s greatest athletes every day of the year.
For further media information please contact:
Bridgestone Australia
Tom Worsley - PR and Content Specialist
+61 8 8206 0208 +61 488 665 592 tworsley@bridgestone.com.au
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About Bridgestone Australia Ltd.:
Bridgestone Australia is a major supplier to the Australasian automotive industry, providing an extensive range of quality tyres, carefully developed to suit local conditions. The company is supported by an employee network of more than 1,500 people across Australia and New Zealand. Bridgestone Australia also manufactures, wholesales and retails quality truck retread products through Bandag Pty Limited, the world's leading retread brand. Bandag products complement the Bridgestone tyre range and provide a reliable solution for truck fleet customers.
About Bridgestone Corporation’s Worldwide Olympic Partnership:
Bridgestone Corporation proudly announced its agreement to become an official Worldwide TOP Partner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on June 13, 2014. The 10-year partnership will see Bridgestone Corporation serve as a Worldwide TOP Partner at the upcoming Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, where the company’s global headquarters are located, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, and the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The Partnership also includes support for the next two Youth Olympic Games. The long-term commitment to the Olympic Movement furthers Bridgestone Corporation’s proud sporting heritage and history of innovation, which extends more than 100 years, and will showcase Bridgestone Corporation’s commitment to community service, social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and respect for diversity – all tenets of the Olympic Charter that also lie at the heart of the Bridgestone brand.