MATTHEW MITCHAM
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NAME: |
MATTHEW MITCHAM |
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NICKNAME: |
Matt, MnM |
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D.O.B: |
2/3/1988 |
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AGE: |
20 |
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BORN: |
Brisbane, QLD |
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LIVES: |
Sydney, NSW |
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HGT: |
173cm |
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WGT: |
67 kg |
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CLUB/INSTITUTE: |
NSWIS |
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TRAINS (Pool): |
SOPAC |
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COACH: |
Chava Sorbrino |
Individual Australian Titles - 4
2 - 1m springboard (05,08) 1 - 3m springboard (08) 1 - 10m platform (08)
Individual Olympic Titles - 1
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Mitcham became the first Australian male to win an Olympic diving gold medal since Dick Eve in 1924 when he pulled off a stunning sixth and final dive to overhaul China's Zhou Luxin and Russian Gleb Galperin. Needing 108 to win, 20-year-old Mitcham's backward two-and-a-half somersault with two-and-a-half twists scored him 112.10 points the highest in Olympic history to finish on 537.95, stopping the Chiness taking a clean sweep in all events..Mitcham broke through for his first ever international gold medal in the 10m platform at the FINA Diving Grand Prix, Fort Lauderdale after becoming the first diver in 14 years to win 1m, 3m, 10m treble, 2008 Australian Champs. Adelaide...placed fourth in 3m & 3m synchro (Robertson) and fifth in 1m & 10m at 2006 Commonwealth Games....won gold in 3m, 3m synchro (Robertson) & 10m, silver in 1m at 2005 Australian Youth Olympic Festival....won silver in 1m, 3m synchro (Robertson) and 10m at 2004 World Junior Championships...qualified for his first Olympic team
IN 2008 Won gold 10m platform at the 2008 Beijing Olympics scoring him 112.10 points. Finished 2nd 10m platform at the FINA Grand Prix in Rostock, Germany (June)....Won gold 10m platform and came 5th 3m springboard at the FINA Grand Prix Fort Lauderdale (May), came 4th 3m springboard and 5th 10m platform at the FINA Grand Prix Montreal, Canada (May), claimed gold 10m platform bronze 3m and 10m FINA Grand Prix Shenzhen, China (March)....Fifth, 10m platform FINA World Cup, Beijing (Feb).... 1st in 1m, 3m and10m, Australian Champs. Adelaide (Jan)...1st 10m, 1st 3m Olympic Trials, Hobart
IN 2007 Took a year off competition
IN 2006 Placed fourth in 3m & 3m synchro (Robertson) and fifth in 1m & 10m at Commonwealth Games in Melbourne....won bronze in 3m synchro (Robertson) at Ft Lauderdale leg of FINA Grand Prix series....was fourth in 3m synchro (Robertson) at Sydney & Zhuhai legs of FINA Grand Prix series....won silver in 3m & 3m synchro (Robertson), was third in 10m at Australian Open Championships in Melbourne
IN 2005 Won gold in 3m, 3m synchro (Robertson) & 10m, silver in 1m at Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney....won 1m, was second in 3m, 3m synchro (Kimlin), 10m synchro (Kimlin) and third in 10m at Australian Open Championships on the Gold Coast
IN 2004 Won silver in 3m synchro (Kimlin), 10m synchro (Kimlin), finished third in 10m and fourth in 1m & 3m at Australian Open Championships in Hobart....won silver in 1m, 3m synchro (Robertson) and 10m at World Junior Championships in Belem
OUT OF THE POOL
FAMILY MEMBERS: Mother , brother
WHAT OR WHO INSPIRES YOU: Winning Olympic Gold
ROLE MODELS: Greg Louganis and Ian Thorpe
PERSONAL
STUDIES/OCCUPATION: Administrative Assistant- Orion Expedition Cruises
SPORTS BEFORE DIVING/AUSTRALIAN TEAMS/MAJOR RESULTS: Gold- World Junior Trampoline Championships 2001
INTERESTING FACTS PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU: I completed high school in French and studied Mandarin at University
SUPERSTITIONS: I'm superstitious about having any superstitions. I do my best to quash any that start creeping up on me.
ULTIMATE RELAXATION: Hand, head and face massages
SPECIALTY IN THE KITCHEN: Lean Cuisine
ONE THING YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Water
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO AWAY FROM DIVING: Eating and sleeping... those are the only other things I do at the moment!
FAVOURITE:
SPORTING TEAM: French Rugby Team
MOVIES: The Cutting Edge, La Vie En Rose
TV SHOW: Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, Drawn Together, Boston Legal
BANDS/MUSIC: Kate Miller-Heidke, Presets, M People, Dresden Dolls, Amy Winehouse, Sneaky, Operator, Black Box
FOOD: Lamb, brie/camembert, eggplant (weird huh?)
DRINK: Coffee
DIVING MEET: Fort Lauderdale (Florida), Rostock (Germany)
HOBBIES: When I'm not diving, I'm eating or sleeping. But on the way to and from diving I love listening to my music.
PETS: A moodle called Louis
BEST MATES: Alexis Paszek, Alexandra Croak, many others
LAST BOOK READ: Greg Louganis' autobiography
WHAT'S YOUR GREATEST ASSET? Being a good speeler
HAVE ANY OF YOUR FAMILY REPRESENTED AUSTRALIA OR PLAYED SPORT AT A NATIONAL LEVEL? Not that I'm aware.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS? A bit different.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED? Positively. Maybe as an Olympic gold medallist
DIVING SHORT TERM GOALS: Olympic Gold
DIVING CAREER ULTIMATE GOAL: Multiple Olympic Golds! (no pressure)
PERSONAL AMBITIONS: To be remembered... positively.
HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED ANY OBSTACLES DURING YOUR DIVING CAREER? Lumber spine fracture. Retiring for a year (separate events)
WHAT AGE DID YOU START DIVING AND WHY? At age 11- coach saw me playing on boards during public time (I was doing trampoline at the time)
FAVOURITE DIVER AND WHY? I liked Mathew Helm's diving around the Athens Olympics. He has the best lines/form in the world.
FAVOURITE ATHLETE AND WHY? Before reading his autobiography I wouldn't have said Greg Louganis, but it's hard not to become completely awestruck by the heights he achieved and develop a respect for him knowing what he went through whilst achieving those goals.
NOTABLE QUOTE: My inner child: "Food goes in here"- Homer Simpson
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AUSTRALIAN TEAM REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS |
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EVENT |
LOCATION |
YEAR |
RESULTS |
| Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 2008 | 1st 10m |
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World Championships |
Montreal, Canada |
2005 |
12th 10m |
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Commonwealth Games |
Melbourne, Australia |
2006 |
4th 3m, 3m synchro (Robertson); 5th 1m, 10m |
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FINA World Cup |
Changshu, China |
2006 |
5th 10m; 6th 1m; 7th 3m |
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Beijing, China |
2008 |
5th 10m |
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FINA Grand Prix |
Zhuhai, China |
2005 |
3rd 3m |
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Montreal, Canada |
2005 |
3rd 10m |
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Sydney, Australia |
2006 |
4th 3m synchro (Robertson) |
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Zhuhai, China |
2006 |
4th 3m synchro (Robertson); 20th 3m |
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Fort Lauderdale, USA |
2006 |
3rd 3m synchro (Robertson); 23rd 3m |
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Rome, Italy |
2006 |
11th 3m synchro (Robertson) |
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Shenzhen, China |
2008 |
3rd 3m; 3rd 10m |
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Montreal, Canada |
2008 |
4th 3m; 5th 10m |
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Fort Lauderdale, USA |
2008 |
1st 10m; 5th 3m |
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Rostock, Germany |
2008 |
2nd 10m |
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World Jnr Championships |
Belem, Brazil |
2004 |
2nd 1m, 10m, 3m synchro (Robertson) |
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Australian Youth Olympic Festival |
Sydney, Australia |
2005 |
1st 3m, 3m synchro (Robertson), 10m; 2nd 1m |