Matt Cowdrey
23-time Paralympic medalist.
Profile
Matthew is Australia’s most successful Paralympian, winning a staggering 23 medals across three Paralympic games. Since the beginning of his career, Matthew has dominated the pool in the S9 classification for 50m and 100m freestyle.
Previous experience
Awards : Throughout his junior years, Cowdrey dominated the pool before embarking on his senior professional career. In 2000, Matthew was award the IPC Best Male Athlete of the Year. Furthermore, he has been crowned Swimmer of The Year with a Disability three years in a row from 2004-2006.
Medals : It was the 2008 Beijing Paralympics that Matt was first seen by the world as he collected a staggering five gold medals and three silver medals. Furthermore, Matthew broke 5 world records in his 2008 appearance alone. Matt followed this up the following year at the World Championships in Brazil as he broke seven world records whilst winning seven gold medals and two silver medals. The true versatility of this athlete was displayed, many drawing comparisons of his performance with that of Michael Phelps of America.
Record breaker : Matt Cowdrey continued his stellar form into the 2012 Paralympics in London, clearly identifying himself as Australia’s greatest ever Paralympian. Matt won a medal in every event in London – five gold, two silver and one bronze. This included breaking his own world record in the 50m freestyle. Matt is a confident and articulate speaker, lending his time to charities and motivating workplaces and kids with his remarkable attitude.
