Matthew Gray

Birthdate: Jun 24, 1973
Weight: 86kg
Height: 189cm
Age: 36

Athlete Results

Archery

15/08	Men's Individual (70m) Final Ranking	(55th)
13/08	Men's Individual (70m) Round of 64 - Match 26 (AUS vs MAS)	loss
11/08	Men's Team (70m) Final Ranking	(9th)
11/08	Men's Team (70m) Round of 16 - Match 2 (AUS vs POL)	loss
09/08	Men's Individual (70m) Ranking Round	654 (39th)
09/08	Men's Team (70m) Ranking Round	654 (39th)

Athlete Profile

Profile

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Yea, Victoria, Australia

Residence: Nelson Bay, New South Wales, Australia

Memorable sporting achievement: "Winning a silver medal in the State competition just six months after first starting with the sport."

Most influential person in career: My wife and daughter. Without them I would be lost.

Hero / Idol: Australian former middle distance runner and businessman, Herb Elliot.

Notes

Highlights

BATTLING NERVES

He says the biggest challenge in the sport is self-control. "Staying relaxed is just so important, but all your instincts are telling you to go for it, to get pumped up - you just have to ignore that and I think that's what makes archery such a hard sport to master."

OLYMPIC NEAR MISS

As an 18 year old he was close to qualifying for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona but just missed out on a spot on the team by one place. This disappointment was all but forgotten when he qualified for the 1996 Olympic Games and then went on to set an Olympic record in an early round of the team event. The Australians scored 253 of a possible 270 points to set the record in Atlanta but could only manage to finish the competition in fourth place.

WATER

Is a police officer in the NSW Water Police.

DAUGHTER

My motivation was to have my daughter watch me compete at the 2008 Olympic Games. I hope my Olympic journey helps her in life to accomplish what ever she wants. Her words of ‘Go Dad Da’ over the phone are enough to keep me motivated.

Competition Highlights

Date	Competition	Venue	Event	Rank
5 Apr, 2008	World Cup	Santo Domingo	Individual	21
5 Apr, 2008	World Cup	Santo Domingo	Team	2
13 May, 2006	World Cup	Porec	Individual	10
31 Dec, 1999	World Indoor Championships	Havana	Team	1