When it comes to champion sprinters, Aussies look no further than Matt Shirvington. As he takes on a career as a TV host, he spoke to Matt Myers about the Olympic dream, Matthew Mitcham and what exactly is going on down under!
You’re presenting a new show called Top 20 Magical Winter Olympic Moments
Yeah, it’s a rundown of the top amazing moments. Foxtel have joint coverage of the winter and summer games and this will stimulate some interest in the winter games. We’re going to Vancouver to check out the Winter Olympics’ site and shoot some stuff there in the snow. It’s exciting to be looking at it from a commentary point of view rather than as an athlete.
Who do you think is the greatest Olympian?
I’d have to say, Carl Lewis. I guess the reason would be my interest in athletics but when
I saw him for the first time in 1984 it was magical. Later, in 1996, when I was in Year 12, I watched him win his third long jump medal and thought he was amazing.
What’s been your greatest achievement?
Probably breaking the Australian 100-metre record when I was 19. That was back in ’98
and probably my most memorable moment, in terms of achievements. But absolutely by
far the most memorable moment in my career was competing in my hometown at the Sydney Olympics and knowing that where I grew up was half an hour away. There were 110,000 people in the stadium cheering me on and I remember going out and hearing the crowd chanting, “Shirvo, Shirvo…” It was amazing.
People give me a lot of crap about not wearing undies but to be honest, I do and have every time I’ve run. So any lack of support is not my fault!
What does it feel like to march in an Olympic opening ceremony?
Well, an Olympic medal has eluded me, so when I look back the Olympic experience is something I hang on to because I don’t have a medal in my cabinet. So definitely walking out in front of a crowd of 100,000 people with Aussie compatriots is pretty amazing. I guess it’s hard to describe. You don’t fully understand the significance of it while you’re there but when you look back it’s a really important moment for an athlete to be a part of.
What did you think of Matthew Mitcham’s Olympic win in Beijing?
I’d say the top three highlights for me were Matthew, the women’s water polo and Steve Hooker in the pole vault. Watching those three on TV was phenomenal. I think Matthew is a worthy winner of Sports Performer Of The Year and his Olympic moment will live on forever.
Matt Shirvington in action – The Top 20 Magical Winter Olympic Moments airs on Fox8
Lots of sportsmen have ventured into promoting underwear and you’re no exception. How did you find that whole modelling gig?
A little uncomfortable to be honest. I don’t know whether it’s a pursuit of perfection or not but I always feel a little uncomfortable in my own skin. It doesn’t really matter how much
I’ve worked on my abs or whatever. I’ve always taken the attitude that my body is functional for what I do. It’s for athletics and gaining results, not so much aesthetics. So I find it a little uncomfortable when I’m bare-chested. But it’s all a bit of fun, too. It’s part of being able to train full-time and you’ve got to endorse things to try and make money along the way.
Plenty of gay guys find you attractive. How do you feel about that?
(Laughs) Oh, I don’t mind! I think admiration, regardless of sex, is pretty cool. I’m lucky enough that I’ve grown up in quite an eclectic part of Sydney and I’ve experienced various types of lifestyles. My wife and I lived in Surry Hills for five years so it’s not an unusual or uncomfortable thing for me. I just feel any admiration is great and to be honest I’m amazed by the interest that I’ve been given.
When googling your name it’s amazing how much talk there is about your, um, manhood.
[Laughs] I know! It’s a weird thing and it all started when I was young. It just seems to happen that way. It’s either my running style or… I don’t know.
Even Wil Anderson makes jokes about it!
(Laughs) You’d be surprised where I’ve come across it!
There are blogs with titles such as “Matt Shirvington – should he stop strapping his genitals?” and “Is it acceptable to display the bulge?”
Al I know is people give me a lot of crap about not wearing undies but to be honest I do and have every time I’ve run. So any lack of support is not my fault! When I moved to the UK, I trained with Linford Christie for a couple of years and he’s known as “The Lunchbox”
for the exact same reason. He spends a bit of time training in Australia and he told me
how he once came through customs and mentioned how he was training with me. The lady at customs said, “Oh, I know Shirvo,” because of the whole lunchbox thing. He came
up to me later and said, almost like it was a kind of confession in an AA meeting, “Me
too! I’ve been tagged with that as well!” So it was like finally there’s someone I can share an understanding with!
A kind of support group!
(Laughs) But I’ve got to say I reckon they pack lunches a hell of a lot bigger over there! While I was living in London I heard a lot of those throw-away lines from the media and comedians. I guess it’s a talking point.
Well, I can think of worse things to be said.
I guess that’s true, too.
Do you have gay mates?
Yeah, Graham McNeice has been my manager for about 12 years and he’s a well-known person in the gay community. I’ve had gay friends all throughout my life. And there’s been such a change in society generally. I’m not saying things are perfect but even since I was in school it’s changed so much. It’s not even an issue, really. Not in my life anyway.
Matthew Mitcham would be a classic example
Absolutely! I picked up GQ magazine the other day and he was nominated for Man of the Year. I thought he’s such a perfect dude for that. He’s such an ‘of the times’ person, and so successful. With his attitude, I would imagine the gay community would see him as a real breakthrough with wide commercial appeal. He’s such a likable person. He’s so grounded and down to earth and in touch with who he is. I think a lot of sports personalities haven’t been fully in touch with who they are and they’ve developed their sexual understanding while famous. So they are sort of unsure of how to portray it. Matthew has been completely open from day one and people respect that. I think that’s great.
What is the campest song on your iPod?
Sing It Back by Moloko.
You are involved with the cancer charity Canteen. How did you get involved with that?
It was when I was on Dancing With The Stars. I was in the first series and didn’t fully understand how it worked but they said I needed to nominate a charity and any of the money raised through voting would go to that charity. I think Canteen is a great charity because it’s not just for the sufferers but the families as well. So it helps them live with it and not just treat it.
The lady at customs said, “Oh, I know Shirvo,” because of the whole lunchbox thing.
Who have you met that you have been in awe of?
Probably Carl Lewis. Iran against him once, which was sort of weird. I was quite young at the time. But to be honest, I do get a little bit star-struck.
Okay, who would you turn for?
I appreciate a lot of guys, not only for their ability but their looks, style and fashion sense. I’ll say, Daniel Craig. He’s impressed me a lot and he clearly works out. I think he’s brilliant as Bond and more than capable of killing someone! Pierce Brosnan seemed more worried about
creasing his shirt! I met one of Daniel Craig’s stunt doubles in the UK and he was telling me that Craig was putting people out of a job because he does so many of his own stunts.
What’s your porn name (your first pet’s name and the street you grew up in)?
Bindy Matthews! Bindy was a little bunny rabbit we had.
Who has been the greatest influence on your career?
In terms of changing the way I look at athletics and the way I approach things, it would be my first coach, Michael Khmel, who was an ex-Olympian from Russia. I met him when I was 17 and within 12 months I broke the Australian junior record and a year later the senior record. He’s been very passionate and involved in my athletic career.
What about regarding life?
I’d have to say, my wife. She’s been so supportive. She travelled around the world and relocated for me. I’ve known her for a long time and we’ve been married for almost eight years. We went through the whole adolescent period of growing and changing, and we helped each other out quite a bit.
So after all the underwear support, the blog chat rooms and dick jokes, is Matt Shirvington a boxers man, briefs man or freeballer?
[Laughs] It varies. I’m a briefs guy with maximum support while I’m doing athletics, I’m a boxers guy casually and I’m a freeballer at the beach!
The Top 20 Magical Winter Olympic Moments airs on Fox8
