Related items

• 'I'm so happy I never gave up at the time': How an injury-plagued decade broke but failed to sink Bajan Olympian Matthew Wright

  Matthew Wright’s career can be likened to fine wine, given the fact that it got better with age. In fact, if the current upward trajectory of the triathlete’s career is anything to go by, then his best is still yet to come.

  Having started from the beaches of Barbados, Wright is now set to grace the grand stage of the Paris Olympic Games, and this remarkable feat serves as the highlight of a journey that has been nothing short of extraordinary.

  Wright, who was introduced to triathlon in primary school, opted to focus fully on the sport that involves running, swimming, and cycling at age 16 and produced some credible performances across 19 international competitions between 2014 and 2016, including the 2014 Commonwealth Games. His best placement during that period came at the 2015 Bridgetown CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup, where he was fourth.

  However, that period was not without its challenges, as Wright faced numerous setbacks, including serious injuries that threatened to derail his dreams and almost forced him to call it quits in his early 20s.

  “I had some pretty good highs, but faced some extremely tough times as well, particularly with injuries. I've had bad bike crashes, broken bones, and torn ligaments. My first ever World Junior Championships I qualified for, I tore a ligament one month before in my knee. So I missed that, and I've just been up and down all around with so many injuries in my 20s that I felt like I was never able to get a full season out. That was really, really hard because I had my heart broken so many times due to it,” Wright told Sportsmax.TV from the Barbados team base in France.

  

  Matthew Wright (second left) shares a photo opportunity with his Barbados teammates ahead of the Paris Games opening ceremony.

  He continued: “I almost gave up the sport multiple times. I remember the 2012 London Olympics; I didn't watch anything, any sports. I was just at home; I was properly depressed and I was going to fully give up the sport. Fortunately, I had to go back to university, where my training group was, and I met this amazing physio at the time, and he got me back on track, and I qualified for my first Commonwealth Games. But then I suffered multiple injuries again since then, the biggest one being when I was trying to qualify for Tokyo in 2020 in February, and I ended up getting a metatarsal stress fracture.

  “That meant the Olympic Games was going to be out of the question because I wasn't going to be able to do the needed qualifying races and I remember my coach saying, just go home, recover, refresh, and come back to Cardiff and we can get back training. But at that point, my fire completely went out because I was in my late twenties and I'd failed yet again to qualify for the Olympic Games. So I felt like I hadn't reached my potential; my body had given up on me again, and at that point, I really thought I was going to give up.”

  Though the extensive rehabilitation and time away from training and competition tested Wright’s resolve, he found out in the most astonishing way that in the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity, as it was during the Covid-19 period that he rekindled his passion for the triathlon.

  “Covid-19 was kind of a blessing for me. The world stopped for four months, and I was able to have, like, a guilt-free break. There was no race to get ready for, the Olympics was cancelled, and I was able to just fully switch off and almost heal from what was 10 years of a bad pattern of injuries, illnesses and setbacks. It really, really helped, and that was the time when I met my now-fiancé, so my life really changed for the better in 2020,” Wright shared.

  

  “But I was one step away from giving up in 2020, and for me, that's the biggest story where I was thinking you're 28 years old, go get a job, like, move on with life... sport isn't for you, but I'm so happy I never gave up at the time. I met the woman of my dreams and she's supported me so well in these last three years and I've had the most amazing period of my entire career since 28,” the Loughborough University graduate noted.

  Since then, the now 32-year-old has registered a slew of top performances, including winning his first international competition—the Asia Triathlon Cup—at the age of 30 in 2022. A year later, in 2023, he opened the season with three medals in three events: gold at the Africa Triathlon Cup, bronze medal at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, and gold at the Americas Triathlon Sprint Championships.

  However, Wright’s most important performance came at the World Triathlon Championship Series earlier this year, where he placed 41st to book his spot at the ongoing global multi-sport showpiece.

  For Wright, achieving his recent successes and a lifelong Olympic Games dream makes overcoming such adversities all the more fulfilling in a sport that requires 17 sessions and 30-plus hours of training per week.

  “So all those moments throughout my twenties make the high of qualifying for an Olympic Games and having an amazing few seasons, pretty healthy in the grand scheme of things, all worth it. Look at me now; I've qualified for the Olympic Games, I've won some massive races all over the world, and I've got a CAC Games medal. I've done so much for in the sport that I'd wanted to achieve before that point and if I'd given up, none of that would have never been the case,” Wright declared.

  “Those moments taught me so much about great determination, never giving up, you know, always finding a way where I never settled. I had to keep looking for answers, having to work with different physiotherapists and different doctors to find out why this is happening, just to make sure that I could reach the potential I believed was within me. So, yeah, it's taught me a whole lot, and it makes these highs even sweeter,” the jovial athlete noted.

  

  As his July 30 race date draws closer, Wright admits that there are some nerves ahead of his Games debut, but in the same breath, the grounded family man pointed out that his objective is to relish the experience.

  "Definitely have a little bit of nerves but I think the biggest key with triathlon is to not get overwhelmed with the event. The key is to make sure that I just control what I can control, focus on my race and I think I'll be super happy if I go out there and perform the way I know I can and not get caught up with the names on the suits,” he said.

  “The Olympics is like nothing you've ever seen. Like, the whole world cares about it. The amount of messages, emails, sponsorship opportunities... everyone wants a piece of you, but I think the biggest thing for me is to balance that and to fully enjoy the Olympic experience. For me, the overarching thing is I'm here as an athlete to have the best performance possible,” he added.

  Still, given his peak physical condition and mental fortitude, Wright has sights set on a top 20 finish, a feat that would mark a significant achievement in his career.

  “I know I am in the best shape I have ever been in my life, and I think based on what I have done before, a top 20 finish is a realistic goal, but of course you want to strike with some Olympic magic and maybe squeeze into the top 15. I think the best is still yet to come in my career, again, I'm in the best part of my career and hopefully I can ride this wave a little longer as I take a dive in the deep end to make Barbados and the whole Caribbean proud,” Wright ended.

• France 1-0 Guinea: Sildillia fires Les Bleus into Olympic quarter-finals

  Kiliann Sildillia's second-half goal helped France continue their perfect start to the Olympic Games as they booked a place in the quarter-finals with a game to spare.

  Les Bleus made it two wins from two thanks to the right-back's header, though they rode their luck against a spirited Guinea side, who had two first-half goals disallowed.

  Amadou Diawara forced Guillaume Restes into a superb fingertip save just minutes into the tie before Jean-Philippe Mateta wasted a hat-trick of chances to put the hosts ahead.

  A cheeky backheel dribbled wide, and a thumping header missed the target on either side of Soumaila Sylla's smothering save.

  Naby Keita clinically picked out the bottom corner from an offside position just before half-time, with Abdoulaye Toure also seeing a goal ruled out moments later after meeting a free-kick.

  France came to life in the second half and gave a warning sign when Loic Bade struck the post from a tight angle.

  In the end, Sildillia proved the difference as he was left unmarked to meet Michael Olise's cross, and Sylla could not get to his thumping header.

  France are through to the next round, and top Group A with six points, while Guinea sit bottom of the group having lost both of their matches so far.

  Data Debrief: Les Bleus leave it late

  For much of the first half in this game, France were sluggish and could have easily gone into half-time 2-0 down if it was not for two tight offside calls. 

  In the end, Thierry Henry's side showed their quality, with Olise proving the key man. He created six chances, more than anyone else on the pitch, with one of those resulting in an assist.

  It is the first time France have reached the quarter-finals at the Olympics since 1996, as they looked to end a 40-year wait for a gold medal in the event.

• "I'm really pumped up" - Jaydon Hibbert using injury at 2023 World Championships as motivation for big showing in Paris

  World Under-20 Triple Jump record holder is looking to make up for his bad luck at last year’s World Championships in Budapest with a good performance in the Paris Olympics.

  The 19-year-old phenom entered last year’s World Championships as one of the best jumpers on the planet at the young age of 18 thanks to his World Under-20 record 17.87m he did to win the SEC Outdoor title in Baton Rouge last May.

  At the time of those World Championships, the former Kingston College standout had also produced jumps of 17.56m, 17.68m and 17.66m, making him one of the favorites for the gold medal.

  In the preliminary round of the triple jump in Budapest on August 19, Hibbert produced the furthest jump in qualifying with 17.70m to book a spot in the final scheduled for two days later.

  Unfortunately, during his first attempt, Hibbert stopped in his approach to the board with some discomfort in his hamstring.

  He was unable to attempt another jump and ended the final with no mark. He didn’t jump again that season.

  Now, one year later, Hibbert will get another opportunity to go toe-to-toe on the big stage with some of the best in the world at the Paris Olympics.

  “I’m just really excited and pumped up especially after last year in Budapest,” Hibbert told Nationwide 90FM on Friday, noting that his injury in Budapest made him depressed and sad for some time.

  “I have to forget what happened in Budapest because it literally broke me for months,” he said.

  “I was depressed and so sad but I had to get over it. Thank God for the confidence I have now and for the lessons that I’m learning now in the sport and it just makes me more hungry to give out my best,” he added.

  Going into these Olympics, Hibbert’s season’s best of 17.75m dome at the Racers Grand Prix on June 1 puts him third in the world this season behind Spain’s Jordan Diaz and Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo.

  Diaz and Pichardo put on one of the most thrilling triple jump duels ever at the European Championships in Rome in June.

  Both men went over 18m with Diaz winning gold with 18.18m, the third longest jump of all time, and Pichardo jumping 18.04m in second.

  If Hibbert wants to medal, there is a good chance he’ll have to at least surpass James Beckford’s national record of 17.92m done back in 1995.

  “Right now, I’m even more focused to go out there and give it my best. There may be uncertainties here and there but the biggest thing is to just trust what God has for you,” Hibbert said.

  Men’s triple jump qualification at the Olympics gets underway on Wednesday, August 7.