DALLAS, TX – Gabe Tardio and Federico Staksrud may have claimed gold togther at the Selkirk Kansas City Open on Sunday by defeating JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier in straight games, but the real highlight of the men's doubles championship match was actually a slice of pizza.

It might sound odd, but it's true.

During a break in the action, Tardio was shown on camera downing a slice to fuel up. Usually, players opt for water, an energy drink or some fruit on the sidelines, but the 18-year-old was obviously extra hungry and needed some sustenance.

The broadcasters on PickleballTV found the whole situation especially entertaining. Dave Fleming even incorporated the slice into the post-match interview and trophy presentation.

“I didn’t have a good breakfast, so I needed some extra carbs and that was it,” said Tardio. 

It was only fitting that Staksrud took a bite to celebrate the victory, before Tardio gave it to a spectator who asked him for an autograph... on the slice itself.

“I think it was something that a lot of people found funny. Maybe people thought I’d have some sort of diet, so they didn’t expect that someone in the final would be eating pizza in the middle of the match,” said Tardio. “The social media response has been great.”

Fellow pro Lina Padegimaite joined the conversation on Instagram to reveal that the youngster has, in fact, done something like this before and enjoyed success in MLP.

“I still vividly remember Tardio saying ‘I just woke up and had a donut’ right before getting called to be a sub for the New Jersey 5s match in Newport in 2022,” she wrote. “And he absolutely killed it.”

Perhaps more players should follow Tardio's lead here. He might be on to something. 

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