Born in Invercargill and now living in Queenstown, Matt was an avid skier before his accident at age 17. The apprentice carpenter was involved in a car accident in Wanaka, resulting in the loss of his left leg below the knee and his left arm below the elbow. Para alpine skiing was suggested to help Matt rehab from injury and move in a new direction. Matt made his Paralympic debut at the Lillehammer 1994 Paralympic Winter Games, along with six other Kiwi Para alpine skiers, securing two fourth places and a pair of fifth-place finishes. Four years later at the Nagano 1998 Paralympic Winter Games, Matt became the most prolific New Zealand medallist at a single Paralympic Winter Games.
Matt excelled at Nagano 1998 to win gold medals in each of the Men’s Giant Slalom LW9, Men’s Slalom LW9 and Men’s Super-G LW9, rounding out his haul with a silver in Men’s Downhill LW1,3,5/7,9. Today, Matt still enjoys skiing and works as a property manager in Queenstown.
Matt officially received his ‘numbered’ Paralympic pin as part of The Celebration Project in Queenstown in September 2020.
