Madi Wilson and Matt Short news sparks flood of messages for Aussie sporting couple
The champion swimmer and cricket star took to social media with their incredible announcement.
Madi Wilson and Matt Short have taken to social media to announce the birth of their first child, sparking a wave of congratulatory messages from a who's who of fellow Aussie sporting stars. The couple shared their rainbow pregnancy news in February during the Australian Cricket Awards in Melbourne, when Mitchell Marsh won the prestigious Allan Border Medal.
And on Wednesday, the proud new parents took to Instagram to celebrate the birth of their son Austin Wilson Short, who came in at a healthy 3.46kg. "Our little Aussie is here and we couldn’t be happier," the sporting couple posted alongside a series of photos with their bundle of joy.
Wilson gave birth to Austin on Monday and the newborn's nickname is a fitting nod to his parents' sporting endeavours for their country. Wilson is a swimming champion and two-time Olympic Games gold medallist and Short is a rising star in Australian cricket after his greatest season to date in 2023. And the couple's heartwarming announcement saw them flooded with beautiful messages from fellow sporting stars around the country.
“So proud of you, he’s beautiful,” Aussie swimming sensation Ariarne Titmus wrote, while fellow Olympic Games gold medallist Mollie O’Callaghan said: “He’s gorgeous! Congratulations to you both." Cricket World Cup winner and Short's international teammate Glenn Maxwell also offered his congratulations, as well as retired Aussie cricketers Aaron Finch and Peter Siddle.
Baby joy caps off eventful year for Madi Wilson and Matt Short
The wonderful baby news caps off an eventful 12 months for both athletes, with Short named the BBL's player of the tournament for a second straight year after his exploits for Adelaide in the 2023/24 season. The Strikers all-rounder also made his debut for Australia in one-day and T20 internationals, and made his first appearance in the Indian Premier League for the Punjab Kings, as well as featuring in England's The Hundred competition for the first time.
Part of the reason Short re-signed with the Strikers last year was so could spend more time with Wilson in Adelaide, where the swimmer is based. “Another big reason to sign again at Adelaide is because my beautiful partner Madi lives here and spending more time with her over the coming summer is very important to me,” he said at the time.
Wilson has been one of the longest serving members of the Australian swim team over the last decade and represented the green and gold at the Rio Games in 2016 and Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She was part of Australia's 4x100m freestyle relay team that claimed back-to-back golds at both those Olympic meets and has also won Olympic Games silver in the 400m medley relay, and bronze in the 800m freestyle relay.
The champion swimmer was originally hoping to qualify for the Paris Olympics until she fell pregnant and also endured a brutal health battle in 2023 that included having four benign tumours removed, before suffering a miscarriage later in the year. Wilson has made it clear that she had no plans to retire from swimming though, and could target next year's World Championships in Singapore as her competitive return.
Wilson last raced for Australia at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, where she came away with three relay golds and one silver in a hugely successful meet for Australia's teams. The 30-year-old swam in the heats of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay, women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, women’s 4x100m medley relay and mixed 4x100m freestyle relay.
Wilson also claimed four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 as part of Australia's dominant relay teams. And she was part of the successful 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relay teams, while also swimming in the heats of both mixed relay events.
