Mathew Belcher

Mathew "Mat" Belcher (born 20 September 1982) is an Australian Olympic Gold Medalist in the 470 dinghy and currently competes with crew Will Ryan. In 2011, following World Championship and World Cup success he and Malcolm Page were shortlisted by the International Sailing Federation for the ISAF World Sailor of the Year Awards.

Mathew Belcher in 2019 after selection for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Mathew Belcher
Personal information
Born (1982-09-20) 20 September 1982
Gold Coast Queensland, Australia
Height173 cm (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Weight62 kg (9 st 11 lb; 137 lb)
Sailing career
Class(es)420, 470
CoachVictor Kovalenko
Updated on December 2016.

Sailing career

Having won the 420 World Championship in 2000, the feeder class to the 470, while still conducting his school at The Southport School on the Gold Coast, Belcher was given the distinction of carrying the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics. At that point, he decided to become an Olympian. Coach Victor Kovalenko invited him onto the Australian 470 sailing squad where he became the tuning partner for Nathan Wilmot and Page. As a helmsman, Belcher rose to the #1 ISAF ranking in 2007 but did not qualify for the 2008 Olympics when Wilmot and Page won the 470 World Championship and then went on to represent Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

2012 & 2016 Olympic Games

Together with 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Malcolm Page, Belcher won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London in the 470 class.[2] Together with Will Ryan, Belcher was runner up in the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning the silver medal in the 470 class.[3]

Recognition

2012 - Australian Sailing Awards - Male Sailor of the Year (with Malcolm Page)

2013 - Australian Sailing Awards - Male Sailor of the Year (with Will Ryan)

2013 - Australian Institute of Sport Awards - Team of the Year (with Will Ryan)

2014 - Australian Sailing Awards - Male Sailor of the Year (with Will Ryan)

2015 - Australian Sailing Awards - Male Sailor of the Year (with Will Ryan)

2019 - Australian Sailing Awards - Male Sailor of the Year (with Will Ryan)

Malcolm Page (left) and Mathew Belcher (right) at the London 2012 Olympic Games

2019 - Australian Institute of Sport Awards - Team of the Year (with Will Ryan) [4]

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References
  1. "Mathew Belcher". london2012.olympics.com.au. Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  2. Staff writers (11 August 2012). "Belcher and Page win 470 sailing gold". ABC London 2012. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  3. http://www.sailing.org.au/performance/olympic/
  4. "Barty Party continues at the AIS Awards". Sport Australia. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.


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