Matthew Gray
Encyclopedia
Matthew Gray is an athlete from Victoria, Australia. He competes in archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...

 and has been selected to represent Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 in Beijing.

Gray took up archery at the age of seven when his father bought a bow at a garage sale
Garage sale
A garage sale, also known as a yard sale, rummage sale, tag sale, lawn sale, attic sale, moving sale, or junk sale, is an informal, irregularly scheduled event for the sale of used goods by private individuals, in which "block sales" are allowed, so that sellers are not required to obtain business...

. After months of harassment, he took up archery. He was selected to be a part of the Australian team for the Junior World Field Championships in 1988 where he won a bronze medal. He won another bronze medal in 1994 at the senior World Field Championships and then won a place on the Australian team for the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

 in Atlanta where the men's team finished fourth overall and he finished 26th individually. He made the Australian team again for the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

 in Sydney where he finished 36th in the individual competition. Gray has also been selected to compete in New Delhi for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Away from archery, Gray has a nursing degree and works for casual shifts at the John James Hospital.

2008 Summer Olympics

At the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 in Beijing Gray finished his ranking round with a total of 654 points. This gave him the 39th seed for the final competition bracket in which he faced Cheng Chu Sian
Cheng Chu Sian
Cheng Chu Sian is an athlete from Malaysia, who competes in archery.-2008 Summer Olympics:At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing Cheng finished his ranking round with a total of 660 points. This gave him the 26th seed for the final competition bracket in which he faced Matthew Gray of Australia in...

 in the first round. Cheng won the match with 109-101 and would eventually reach the quarter finals in which Bair Badënov
Bair Badënov
Bair Badënov is a Russian archer.Badënov, who started training in 1986, was a World Champion among Youth in 1993, a European champion in 1996. Participated in 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and was 4th in 2000 Olympics in Sydney...

 was too strong.

Together with Sky Kim
Sky Kim
Sky Kim is an athlete from Australia. He competes in archery and has been selected to represent Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing....

 and Michael Naray
Michael Naray
Michael Naray is an Olympic competitor for archery representing Australia.-2008 Summer Olympics:At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing Naray finished his ranking round with a total of 658 points...

he also took part in the team event. With his 654 score from the ranking round combined with the 665 of Kim and the 658 of Naray the Australians were in 9th position after the ranking round. In the first round they were defeated by eight seed Poland (223-218). The Polish would not come further than the quarter final.
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