Matthew Cowdrey

Matthew John Cowdrey OAM (born 22 December 1988) is an Australian swimmer and holder of numerous world records. He lives in South Australia and swims for the Norwood Swimming Club. He has a congenital amputation of his left arm; it stops at the elbow. Cowdrey competed at the 2004 Paralympic Games, 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2008 Paralympic Games. In the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, Cowdrey came back to Australia with a total of 8 medals.

Cowdrey competes in the International Paralympic Committee's S9 (freestyle, backstroke and butterfly) SB9 (breaststroke) and SM9 (individual medley) classifications; which comprise swimmers with a severe leg weakness, swimmers with slight coordination problems and swimmers with one limb loss.

Cowdrey was awarded the OAM (Order of Australia Medal) as part of the Australia Day honours list in 2005 for service to Australian Sport as a Paralympic Gold Medalist.

He was named Swimming World Magazine's Disabled Male Swimmer of the Year in 2007 & 2008, Swimming Australia Swimmer of the year with a Disability 2004-08, The National Australia Day Council Young South Australian of the Year in 2008, Australian Paralympic Committee Paralympian of the Year 2008 and South Australian Sports Institute Male Athlete of the Year 2008.

2006 Commonwealth Games

Two EAD (Elite Athletes with Disabilities) swimming events at the Games counted with the able bodied events towards the medal tally: the 50 metre freestyle and 100 metre freestyle. Since the races had...
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