Matthew's Story
Matthew (Matt) Shirvington is a Sydney 2000 Olympian and still, two decades later, the second-fastest Australian sprinter of all time.
His prowess in sprinting was evident early on, when, at the age of 13, the young Sydneysider joined Little Athletics and broke schoolboy records in both the 100m and 200m events.
While still a teenager, Shirvington ran a time of 10.03 seconds at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. His impressive time thrust him into the spotlight with the media proclaiming him the best sprinter Australia had seen in 30 years.
Shirvington competed at his first and only Olympics, Sydney 2000, when he was 22 years old and finished fifth in the finals which left him ranked top-ten in the world.
The following year he went on to compete at the World Championships in Canada where he made the semifinals before finishing third at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane.
Shirvington was ready to represent his country at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, but was struck down by glandular fever which left him unfit to contest his second Olympics.
The resilient sprinter recovered and in 2005, he qualified for the World Championships and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Shirvington ended his career with five consecutive National Titles in the 100m and five top-three finishes nationally in the 200m.
He is now a sports commentator, presenter and motivational speaker.
