BMX Champion Caroline Buchanan Honored with Garema Place Mural
Photo Credit: Keegan Carroll
A colorful mural for BMX champion Caroline Buchanan has been created in Garema Place (landmark destination in Civic, Canberra, Australia). The mural was painted by artist Bohie Palecek and students from Erindale College — the school the 30-year-old Olympian and BMX champion attended.
Commissioned by the ACT government with a ‘Choose to Challenge’ theme, the mural celebrates Buchanan's pioneering career in BMX racing.
“It's pretty incredible and I'm glad that there's that pop of blonde hair flying out the back of my helmet," Buchanan stated. "As a little girl, I always aspired to be that girl out on the track, I always wanted to race the boys, I always wanted to try to be as good as them and at the end of the day be that girl that went all the way to the top in a sport that used to be a boys' sport and now there's so many aspiring females. There's never been a better time to be a female in the action sports space."
Buchanan added, "The challenge for me was I had to create a path and a future that didn't exist. I wanted to be what I couldn't see as a little girl, a BMX Olympic athlete, making a living from the sport. So, I had to work really hard throughout my career, from Canberra, through the ACT Academy of Sport into the AIS and onto two Olympic Games and eight world titles. And in that journey to the top, I think the challenges along the way really shaped me. The personal challenges of defeat and injury have all been part of that rollercoaster and I wouldn't be here without them."
BMX Champion Caroline Buchanan
Feel the rush of adrenaline. Whether it's your first time ever or the thousandth time, the experience on a BMX track is pure paradise.
Turning pro in 2005, Buchanan — dubbed the Queen of the Dirt — has become an eight-time world and 16-time national champion cross BMX and Mountain Bike.
Accomplishments on the track:
- OLYMPIC GAMES 2016 Rio SF - BMX Supercross
- 2012 London 5th - BMX Supercross
- WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 3x BMX World Champion 2012, 2013, 2016
- MTB 5x Mountain Bike World Champion 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017
- NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 16x Australian National BMX & Mountain Bike Champion
Hometown Hero On and Off the Track
Buchanan, who broke into the once male-dominated sport with braveness, courage, and style — was the perfect choice for the mural. Buchanan classifies herself as more than a cyclist — an athlete, businesswoman, social media influencer, mentor, proud advocate for women in sport and World Champion Australian athlete.
"As a little girl, I always aspired to be that girl out on the track, I always wanted to race the boys, I always wanted to try to be as good as them and at the end of the day be that girl that went all the way to the top in a sport that used to be a boys' sport and now there's so many aspiring females. There's never been a better time to be a female in the action sports space."
