Matt Welsh
Encyclopedia
Matthew "Matt" Welsh is an Australian swimmer who is the former world champion in the backstroke
Backstroke
The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...

 and butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...

. Welsh trained under coach Ian Pope
Ian Pope
Ian Pope is an Olympic and national swimming coach from Australia. As of 2010, he is the head coach of Melbourne Vicentre Swimming Club in Melbourne...

 at the Melbourne Vicentre
Melbourne Vicentre
Melbourne Vicentre is a swimming club based at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre , Melbourne, Australia. Its head coach is Ian Pope, who is also supported by Craig Jackson and Alex Hirschauer . Vicentre is one of the largest clubs in Victoria, and competes in state and national swimming...

 Club. He took two golds in 50 metres butterfly and 50 metres backstroke, during one hour, at the World Championships in Shanghai 2006. Welsh announced his retirement from professional swimming on 24 March 2008 when he failed to secure a place at the Beijing Olympics.

Early years

Welsh started swimming in his final years at Scotch College
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....

, Melbourne and moved into competitive swimming in 1995 after leaving school at the age of eighteen. His first big break came in 1998 at the world swimming championships in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

 with a gold in the 4 x 100m medley relay.

World and Olympic accomplishments

Event Time Place
1998 World Championships
100m Backstroke 55.45 6th
4x100m Medley 3:37.98 Gold AR
2001 World Championships
50m Backstroke 25.49 Bronze
100m Backstroke 54.31 Gold
200m Backstroke 1:58.80 4th
4x100m Medley 3:35.35 Gold
2003 World Championships
50m Butterfly 23.43 Gold WR
50m Backstroke 25.01 Silver AR
100m Backstroke 53.92 Silver AR
200m Backstroke 1:57.94 5th
2005 World Championships
50m Backstroke 24.99 Silver AR
100m Backstroke 54.89 9th
200m Backstroke 2:02.64 18th
2007 World Championships
50m Backstroke 25.61 8th
100m Backstroke 54.65 7th
4x100m Medley 3:34.93 Gold
Event Time Place
2000 Olympics
100m Backstroke 54.07 Silver AR
200m Backstroke 1:57.59 Bronze AR
4x100m Medley 3:35.27 Silver AR
2004 Olympics
100m Backstroke 54.52 5th
200m Backstroke 2:01.73 19th
4x100m Medley 3:39.14 9th


Welsh was unable to beat the younger generation at the trials and did not compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Swimming history

Welsh has won several world championship titles in both backstroke and butterfly. He first broke the Australian record in the 100 metre backstroke in 1998. He has also won more Australian swimming titles than any swimmer in history, claiming his 50th win at the 2006 Australian titles in Brisbane in December 2006.

Personal life

Welsh married Australian television personality Lauren Newton on 4 November 2006 at St Dominic's Catholic Church in Melbourne. They announced their engagement on 15 December 2005. They are parents to Sam Albert, born January 2008 and Eva Eunice, born May 2009.
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