By Keith Dunlap on SwimSwam
In an Instagram post, former Australian Olympian and world record holder Matt Wilson announced he is retiring from competitive swimming, although at the same time he said he is looking to stay involved in the sport in some capacity going forward.
“I look to help where I can in the sport that gave me so much,” Wilson said in the post.
Indeed it did.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Matt Wilson OLY (@matt_wilson28)
Well… who would’ve thought this kid would go on to make an Olympic Games, multiple world championships and Commonwealth games as well as become a World Champion and hold a World Record.
Today I am officially announcing my retirement from competitive swimming. It’s been a wild ride that’s for sure with many ups and many downs but I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Ultimately my body has told me it’s enough. I’ve dealt with injuries my whole career and came back each time, but as the years go on it becomes harder and harder to get to a level where I can compete against the best in the world. In an ideal world I would’ve challenged for another Commonwealth and Olympic Games but life isn’t ideal sometimes.
I just want to quickly thank everyone that has helped me along the way, who have contributed in me achieving my childhood dreams. In particular I need to thank my coach @kableadam who I’ve been with since I was 13 years old living in the Blue Mountains, he made me the athlete I was and a better person which is more important than any medal. To the @nswinstituteofsport, @sopacswimteam and Springwood Swimming Club groups and everyone that’s come and gone in there, you’ve all shaped me in some way big or small and I’m forever grateful for the lifelong friendships I’ve made. I also need to thank my family particularly my Mum, Maree, my Dad, Gary, my sister, Renee and my girlfriend, @emorgan_. Without them making the sacrifices they did I wouldn’t have been able to get close to what I achieved in my career. The 3:45am wake ups to get to SOPAC ended up being worth it!
This isn’t the end of me in swimming as I look to help where I can in the sport that gave me so much.
Dolphin #788 signing off
Wilson, 28, said in the post that his body has told him “it’s enough” after more than a decade of competition at the sport’s highest level.
Wilson is perhaps best known for what he did at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, setting the world record in the men’s 200 breaststroke, swimming a time of 2:06.67 during a qualification heat.
Wilson tied the record originally set by Japan’s Ippei Watanabe. The record was short-lived, with Anton Chupkov of Russia later breaking the record in a time of 2:06.12 during the finals of the event at the same meet.
Chupkov won gold, while Wilson won silver in a time of 2:06.68.
In addition to the silver medal in the 200 breast at the 2019 Worlds, Wilson also won gold as a member of the Australian mixed 4×100 medley relay team. He also won silver in that event at the 2017 and 2022 Worlds.
He qualified to represent Australia at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, placing 14th in the men’s 100 breast and 22nd in the 200 breast.
“I’ve dealt with injuries my whole career and came back each time, but as the years go on it becomes harder and harder to get to a level where I can compete against the best in the world,” Wilson said. “In an ideal world I would’ve challenged for another Commonwealth and Olympic Games. But life isn’t ideal sometimes.”
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