SIMPSON Matt

United States of America

Date of Birth: 30 Mar 1990

Age: 31

Gender: Male

Sport Class: B1

Place of birth: ATLANTA, GA

Birth Country:

United States of America

Place of residence : FORT WAYNE, IN

Residence Country:

United States of America

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank	Medal
Goalball	Men USA United States	4

Schedule

Start Time	Location	Event	Status
	Makuhari Messe Hall C	Men's Preliminary - Group A #10 USA United States 8 BRA Brazil 6	Finished
	Makuhari Messe Hall C	Men's Preliminary - Group A #17 JPN Japan 11 USA United States 1	Finished
	Makuhari Messe Hall C	Men's Preliminary - Group A #33 ALG Algeria 5 USA United States 13	Finished
	Makuhari Messe Hall C	Men's Preliminary - Group A #37 USA United States 3 LTU Lithuania 13	Finished
	Makuhari Messe Hall C	Men's Quarterfinal #42 UKR Ukraine 4 USA United States 5	Finished
	Makuhari Messe Hall C	Men's Semifinal #49 CHN China 8 USA United States 1	Finished
	Makuhari Messe Hall C	Men's Bronze Medal Match #54 USA United States 7 LTU Lithuania 10	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Rank	Event	Year	Location
Paralympic Games
2	Men	2016	Rio de Janeiro, BRA
World Championships
3	Men	2014	Espoo, FIN

Skiing, hiking, climbing, triathlons. (teamusa.org, 01 Sep 2019)

Occupation:

Athlete, Lawyer

Political Science - Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA, USA

One daughter [2021]

Languages spoken:

Keith Young [national], USA

He began playing goalball at a US Association of Blind Athletes Sports Education Camp in around 1999. (teamusa.org, 07 Jul 2021, 01 Sep 2019)

"I was 10 years old when I found goalball. Finding the sport meant much more than just finding a game to play. I found an outlet where I could win or lose, succeed or fail, and the only thing that didn't matter in goalball, unlike everywhere else, was how much I could see. I'd never be able to compete with my sighted peers on the basketball court, the baseball diamond or the football field. I could run on the track with the aid of a guide, but I wanted to be on a team. I wanted to compete, with no guidance from a sighted person. I wanted to win, or lose, on my own skill and ability, or lack thereof." (teamusa.org, 07 Jul 2021)

To win gold at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (teamusa.org, 07 Jul 2021)

He trains at the Turnstone Center, a national training centre for Para athletes in Fort Wayne, IN, United States of America. (guidedogs.com, 21 Aug 2020)

Winning silver at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (teamusa.org, 07 Jul 2021)

His parents. (Athlete, 01 Apr 2016)

Philosophy:

"As a person with a disability, I'm keenly aware of the fact that my greatest asset is my mind. Many times, I'm at a disadvantage. I'm blind, and I deal with various limitations. But education is the easiest way to maximise my advantages." (reuters.com, 23 Jul 2021)

General Interest

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (teamusa.org, 01 Sep 2019)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (teamusa.org, 01 Sep 2019)

Impairment Details
He was born with a retinal condition that resulted in a visual impairment from an early age. (teamusa.org, 01 Sep 2019)

General
CAREER BREAK AND RETURN
After winning silver at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he took a break from the sport to return to education and took up a full-time job as a lawyer. He returned to the US national team in August 2019 at the Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. "I took a break from Team USA, maybe a permanent one for all I knew. I had to find the next outlet. So, I went back to school. I picked the only career where I thought I could satisfy my competitive drive and apply the personal skills that come from training for years to be the best at something. I kept training, for fun, even as I stayed away from international competition so I could focus on school. I married an amazing woman, came back to Team USA just to see what I could do, [and] thought COVID-19 put an end to that. But much to my surprise I find myself back, about to go to the Paralympics - a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - for a second time." (reuters.com, 23 Jul 2021; teamusa.org, 07 Jul 2021; guidedogs.com, 21 Aug 2020)

OCCUPATION
He works as a lawyer for a law firm based in Washington, DC, United States of America. (reuters.com, 23 Jul 2021)

FURTHER EDUCATION
After completing a bachelor's degree in political science at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA, United States of America in 2012, he studied law at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, from 2016 to 2020. (reuters.com, 23 Jul 2021; guidedogs.com, 21 Aug 2020; teamusa.org, 01 Sep 2019)

Social Media

Legend

:: Gold Medal Event
:: Silver Medal Event
:: Bronze Medal Event

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