31 Facts About Matt Cowdrey

Matthew John Cowdrey was born on 22 December 1988 and is an Australian politician and Paralympic swimmer.

Matt Cowdrey has a congenital amputation of his left arm; it stops just below the elbow.

On 10 February 2015, Matt Cowdrey announced his retirement from swimming.

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

Matt Cowdrey was born on 22 December 1988 with part of his arm missing due to a congenital amputation.

Matt Cowdrey attended Endeavour College and played basketball when he was younger.

Matt Cowdrey 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.

Matt Cowdrey competes in the International Paralympic Committee's S9 SB8, and SM9 classifications, which comprise swimmers with a severe leg weakness, swimmers with slight coordination problems and swimmers with one limb loss.

Matt Cowdrey started swimming when he was five years old, and doing so competitively soon after in 1994.

Matt Cowdrey broke his first Australian open record when he was eleven years old, and set his first world record at the age of thirteen.

Matt Cowdrey was one of the youngest Australian competitors at the 2004 Paralympics.

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

At the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games Trials, Matt 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.

Matt 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.

Matt Cowdrey was Australia's only male non-relay individual swimming gold medalist in the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Matt Cowdrey carried Australia's flag during the closing ceremonies for the Games.

At the 2009 IPC Short Course World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Matt Cowdrey won seven gold medals and two silver medals.

At the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships, Matt Cowdrey, who was classified as an S9 swimmer, won six gold medals and one silver medal.

Matt Cowdrey 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.

Matt 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.

In June 2013, Matt Cowdrey confirmed that he would aim to compete at the 2016 Rio Games.

Matt Cowdrey was back living in Glenelg and training at the South Australian Aquatic Centre.

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

Matt Cowdrey has become an outstanding ambassador for the Paralympic movement, a leader of the Paralympic swim team and our most successful athlete ever.

Matt Cowdrey was appointed as the team general manager of the Australian team for the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in Samoa.

In 2017, Matt Cowdrey was preselected to run for the Liberal Party in the Labor-held seat of Colton at the 2018 state election in South Australia.

Matt Cowdrey 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 2006, Matt Cowdrey won the Commonwealth Sports Award in the category of male Elite Athlete with a Disability.

Matt Cowdrey was named to Swimming Australia's All-Star Swim Team in 2006 and 2007.

Matt Cowdrey was a finalist for the 2012 Australian Paralympian of the Year.

Matt Cowdrey is an inductee of the Swimming South Australia Hall of Fame.