Matt Cowdrey

Matthew John Cowdrey OAM (born 22 December 1988) is an Australian politician and Paralympic swimmer. He presently holds numerous world records. He has a congenital amputation of his left arm; it stops just below the elbow. Cowdrey competed at the 2004 Paralympic Games, 2006 Commonwealth Games, 2008 Paralympic Games, 2010 Commonwealth Games, and the 2012 Paralympic Games. After the 2012 London Games, he is the most successful Australian Paralympian, having won thirteen Paralympic gold medals and twenty three Paralympic medals in total. On 10 February 2015, Cowdrey announced his retirement from swimming.[2]

Matt Cowdrey
OAM, MP
2012 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Cowdrey
Member of the South Australian Parliament
for Colton
Assumed office
17 March 2018
Preceded byPaul Caica
Personal details
Born
Matthew John Cowdrey

(1988-12-22) 22 December 1988
Adelaide, South Australia
Nationality Australia
Political partyLiberal Party
Sports career
Height182 cm (6 ft 0 in)[1]
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, Backstroke, Butterfly, Medley
ClassificationsS9, SB8, SM9
ClubMarion
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Paralympic Games 13 7 3
World Championships (LC) 16 3 2
World Championships (SC) 7 2 0
Commonwealth Games 3 1 0
Total 39 13 5
Men's paralympic swimming
Representing  Australia
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 100 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 200 m medley SM9
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 50 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 100 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 100 m backstroke S9
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 200 m medley SM9
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 50 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 100 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 100 m backstroke S9
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 200 m medley SM9
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens 100 m butterfly S9
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing 100 m butterfly S9
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing 400 m freestyle S9
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2012 London 100 m breaststroke SB8
Silver medal – second place 2012 London 100 m butterfly S9
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 50 m freestyle S9
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 400 m freestyle S9
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London 4×100 m medley
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 2006 Durban 50 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2006 Durban 100 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2006 Durban 100 m butterfly S9
Gold medal – first place 2006 Durban 200 medley SM9
Gold medal – first place 2006 Durban 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 50 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 100 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 100 m backstroke S9
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 200 m medley SM9
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2013 Montreal 50 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2013 Montreal 100 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2013 Montreal 100 m backstroke S9
Gold medal – first place 2013 Montreal 200 m medley SM9
Gold medal – first place 2013 Montreal 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2006 Durban 100 m backstroke S9
Silver medal – second place 2006 Durban 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2010 Eindhoven 100 m butterfly S9
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Durban 400 m freestyle S9
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Montreal 100 m butterfly S9
World Championships (SC)
Gold medal – first place 2009 Rio de Janeiro 50 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2009 Rio de Janeiro100 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2009 Rio de Janeiro100 m backstroke S9
Gold medal – first place 2009 Rio de Janeiro100 m medley SM9
Gold medal – first place 2009 Rio de Janeiro200 m medley SM9
Gold medal – first place 2009 Rio de Janeiro4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2009 Rio de Janeiro4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 2009 Rio de Janeiro100 m breaststroke SB9
Silver medal – second place 2009 Rio de Janeiro100 m butterfly S9
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2006 Melbourne 50 m freestyle EAD
Gold medal – first place 2006 Melbourne 100 m freestyle EAD
Gold medal – first place 2010 Delhi 50 m freestyle S9
Silver medal – second place 2014 Glasgow 100 m freestyle S9

Cowdrey contested and won the seat of Colton at the 2018 state election in South Australia for the Liberal Party.[3]

Personal

Cowdrey was born on 22 December 1988[4] with part of his arm missing[5] due to a congenital amputation.[4] He attended Endeavour College[6] and played basketball when he was younger.[7] He moved to Canberra and started swimming for the Australian Institute of Sport, while continuing to represent the Norwood Swimming Club of Adelaide on the club level.[7] In 2011, he also represented Kawana Waters Swimming Club.[8] As of 2013, he swims for the Marion Swimming Club.[7]

In April 2015, Cowdrey graduated from the University of Adelaide with a double degree in law and media.[9][10] In 2013, he undertook a three-month internship with U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.[11] In 2015, at the time of his retirement, he was working for KPMG in Adelaide.[10]

Cowdrey at the 2012 London Paralympics

Swimming

Cowdrey competes in the International Paralympic Committee's S9 (freestyle, backstroke and butterfly,) SB8 (breaststroke), and SM9 (individual medley) classifications,[12] which comprise swimmers with a severe leg weakness, swimmers with slight coordination problems and swimmers with one limb loss.[13] Cowdrey started swimming when he was five years old, and doing so competitively soon after in 1994.[4] He broke his first Australian open record when he was eleven years old,[4] and set his first world record at the age of thirteen.[4]

2004

Cowdrey was one of the youngest Australian competitors at the 2004 Paralympics.[5] At the 2004 Games, he won three gold medals in the men's 4×100-metre medley relay, the 100-metre freestyle S9, and the 200-metre individual medley SM9,[12] for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia.[14] Cowdrew also won silver medals in the 100-metre butterfly S9 and the 4×100-metre freestyle relay, and bronze medals in the 50-metre freestyle S9 and the 400-metre freestyle S9.[12]

2005

At the 2005 Australian Open, Cowdrey set two world records en route to winning seven gold medals and two bronze medals.[15]

2006

At the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games Trials, Cowdrey set world records and won gold medals in four events: the 200-metre individual medley mixed disability classification, the 100-metre backstroke mixed disability classification, the 50-metre backstroke mixed disability classification, and the 50-metre butterfly mixed disability classification. Additionally, he won gold medals in two other events: the 100-metre freestyle mixed disability classification and the 50-metre freestyle mixed disability classification.[15] At the 2006 Commonwealth Games Trials – Team Qualification Races, he won a gold medal and set a world record in the 100-metre freestyle Elite Athlete with a Disability (EAD) event, and won a gold medal in the 50-metre freestyle (EAD) event.[15]

Cowdrey competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Victoria, where he set two world records and won gold medals in the 50-metre freestyle and 100-metre freestyle events.[4] He was Australia's only male non-relay individual swimming gold medalist in the 2006 Commonwealth Games.[15] At the 2006 World Championships, he set three world records while winning three gold medals, two silver medals and bronze.[4] In 2008, at the Australian Swimming Championships, he won gold medals four events:the 50-metre freestyle, 100-metre freestyle, 100-metre backstroke and 100-metre butterfly. At those same games, he won two silver medals in the 200-metre individual medley and 400-metre freestyle events.[15] These Games had limited opportunities for Paralympic swimmers as not all events were on the event programme.[16]

At the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships, in Durban, South Africa, Cowdrey won gold medals in five events: the 50-metre freestyle S9, the 100-metre freestyle S9, the 100-metre butterfly S9, the 200-metre individual medley SM9, and the 4×100-metre medley relay (34 points). He also won silver medals in the 100-metre backstroke S9 and the 4×100-metre freestyle relay (34 points), and a bronze medal in the 400-metre freestyle S9.[17]

2008
Cowdrey, gold medallist, at the 2012 London Paralympics

At the 2008 Summer Paralympics, Cowdrey picked up five gold medals, winning the 50-metre freestyle S9, 100-metre freestyle S9, 100-metre backstroke S9, 200-metre individual medley-SM9, and 4×100-metre medley relay events, all in world-record time.[12][4] He won three silver medals in the 100-metre butterfly S9, 400-metre freestyle S9, and 4×100-metre freestyle relay events.[12] He also carried Australia's flag during the closing ceremonies for the Games.[7] For his performance at the Games, Cowdrey won Best Male at the Paralympic Sport Awards.[18]

2009

At the 2009 IPC Short Course World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Cowdrey won seven gold medals and two silver medals.[7][17] In 2009, he competed in his first international competition against able-bodied swimmers in Tucson, Arizona.[19]

2010

At the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships, Cowdrey, who was classified as an S9 swimmer, won six gold medals and one silver medal. One of the medals was in the men's 4×100-metre relay race.[20] At the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, he won a gold medal in the 50-metre freestyle S9 event in a world record time of 25.33 seconds, which is still standing as of February 2012.[21][22]

2011

In April 2011, he participated in the Telstra Australian Swimming Championships.[23] In July 2011, he participated at the Australian Short Course Championships.[8] In August 2011, he participated in the Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships.[8] In October 2011, he participated at the 2011 Swimmeroo QLD Long Course.[8] In December, he competed in the Can-Am Swimming Open. A week before the Can-Am Swimming Open, Cowdrey was reclassified for breaststroke from SB9 to SB8.[24] He won a gold medal in the SB8 100-metre breaststroke, with the fourth fastest time posted for the event during 2011 at 1:12.85.[24]

2012
Cowdrey at the 2012 London Paralympics

At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Cowdrey won gold medals in the 100-metre backstroke S9, 50-metre freestyle S9, 100-metre freestyle S9, 200-metre individual medley SM9, and 4×100-metre freestyle relay (34 points). He also won silver medals in the 100-metre butterfly S9 and 100-metre breaststroke SB8, and a bronze medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay (34 points).[12] Cowdrey became Australia's most successful Paralympian with his victory in the men's 50-metre freestyle S9 event at the 2012 London Games, winning his 11th gold medal and 20th medal overall and surpassing Tim Sullivan in gold medal count and Kingsley Bugarin in overall medal count.[25]

2013

In June 2013, Cowdrey confirmed that he would aim to compete at the 2016 Rio Games. He was back living in Glenelg and training at the South Australian Aquatic Centre.[26] Competing at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Cowdrey won five gold medals in the 50-metre freestyle S9, 100-metre freestyle S9, 100-metre backstroke S9, 200-metre individual medley SM9, and 4×100-metre freestyle relay (34 points), and a bronze medal in the 100-metre butterfly S9.[27][28][29][30]

2014

At the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Cowdrey won a silver medal in the 100-metre freestyle S9.[31]

Retirement

On announcing his retirement from swimming on 10 February 2015, Cowdrey stated: "I have been fortunate to have achieved more than I could ever have dreamed of, and more than I set out to achieve, and more importantly I have enjoyed every minute of my time on the Australian swim team."[2] Glenn Tasker, president of the Australian Paralympic Committee, said, "It has been an absolute privilege to watch Matthew develop from the quiet 15-year-old kid who competed at his first Paralympics in 2004, into one of the greats of Australian Paralympic sport. He has become an outstanding ambassador for the Paralympic movement, a leader of the Paralympic swim team and our most successful athlete ever."[2]

Post-swimming career

Cowdrey was appointed as the team general manager of the Australian team for the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in Samoa.[32] In 2017, Cowdrey was preselected to run for the Liberal Party in the Labor-held seat of Colton at the 2018 state election in South Australia.[3] He was re-elected as the member for Colton at the 2022 state election despite the election resulting in the Liberal Party losing Government and returning to Opposition. In April 2022 new Liberal leader David Speirs promoted him to the Opposition frontbench as Shadow Treasurer.[33][34]

Recognition
Cowdrey receiving a special presentation at the 2012 Australian Paralympian of the Year ceremony, in recognition of his achievement of winning more Paralympic gold medals than any other Australian

In 2004, at the Australian Paralympian of the Year Awards, he was named the Young Paralympian of the Year.[15] In 2006, Cowdrey won the Commonwealth Sports Award in the category of male Elite Athlete with a Disability (EAD).[15] Swimming Australia named him their Swimmer of the Year with a Disability for four years in a row, from 2004 to 2007.[15] He was also named to Swimming Australia's All-Star Swim Team in 2006 and 2007.[15] Swimming World Magazine has named him their "World Swimmer of the Year with a Disability."[15] In 2009, he was named the Young South Australian of the Year.[35] In 2011, he was inducted into the Australian Institute of Sport's "Best of the Best".[36] Cowdrey was a finalist for the 2012 Australian Paralympian of the Year.[37] In 2012, The South Australia Aquatic & Leisure Centre decided to name its main competition pool after Cowdrey.[38] The City of Salisbury gave him the keys to the city in 2013.[39] In October 2014, he was inducted into the Path of Champions at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.[40] In 2016, he was awarded Speedo Services to the Australian Swim Team at the Swimming Australia Awards.[41] He is an inductee of the Swimming South Australia Hall of Fame.[42] in 2019, he was inducted into Sport Australia Hall of Fame.[43] In 2022, he was inducted into the Paralympics Australia Hall of Fame.[44]

References
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  5. Halloran, Jessica (21 September 2004). "Australian teenagers enjoy big day in pool". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  6. "Mawson Lakes student wins 2 Commonwealth Golds". Varsity Lakes. 31 March 2006. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
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