CLARKE Matthew

General
LAST MINUTE SELECTION
He initially missed out on a qualification berth for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after clocking times of 8.22.62 and 8.22.13 at races in June 2021. He had needed to run faster than 8.22.00. A month later, the withdrawal of an athlete from another country meant he was awarded a quota spot and booked his ticket for the 2020 Games. "I'd basically missed the selection by the closest of margins in both pathways of qualifying. I was the fastest non-automatic qualifier. I came so close to the automatic qualifier in the last few days before the qualification deadline. The top 45 are offered spots to compete at the Olympics, and after the roll down I was ranked number 46 which was heartbreaking. It's a one in a thousand chance that someone would pull out. When I saw my phone ringing, I had a butterfly feeling inside my stomach but when Athletics Australia told me that they had some good news, I started crying." (abc.net.au, 17 Jul 2021; athletics.com.au, 07 Jul 2021)

GUIDE
He has served as a guide for Australian Para athlete Jaryd Clifford. Clarke will miss the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo to focus on the 2020 Olympic Games. (abc.net.au, 17 Jul 2021)

OCCUPATION
He has worked as a podiatrist in Australia. (Instagram profile, 23 Jul 2021; Australian Podiatry Association Facebook page, 12 Jul 2021)