Meet the South Benfleet born star, swapping the bike saddle for the slopes.
Off the back of Great Britain’s most successful medal tally at a Winter Olympics, the Olympic spirit is high, especially here in Essex with winter sports teams like Chelmsford Chieftains Ice Hockey Club riding high at the top of their division.
Next up on the world’s stage though is the Winter Paralympics. The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, which open on 6 March 2026 in the Arena di Verona, will showcase around 665 athletes competing in 79 medal events across six sports – Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard and wheelchair curling.
Matthew Hamilton from South Benfleet, now living in Edinburgh to train, is Essex’s medal hope heading to the games. Taking part in Para snowboard, Matthew has Erbs Palsy which affects 1 in every 2,000 newborn babies and caused complications in his right arm and shoulder.
We were lucky enough to speak with Matthew in the week leading up to the games and had the opportunity to ask him some questions.
“As a baby I went through lots of physio and a few operations, and I was always encouraged to stay active. I carried that through school, although the typical story of negative experiences in secondary school caused me to put a pause on my sports endeavours.”
A previous Essex Activity Awards winner with Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club in Redbridge all the way back in 2013, Matthew also competed in athletics for Basildon AC and Chelmsford AC.
The qualification process for the games is the same as any other year of competition for Matthew.
“Throughout the year we race for points, and once you have enough points you move up to the World Cup racing which is the top level. From there, you continue to gain points based on your best two performances, and then for Team GB it was a case of needing to be around top 14 in the world to be eligible for selection. It’s what we do every year whether it’s a Paralympic year or not, so it all feels kind of normal!”
Ahead of the games starting on the 6th, Matthew has spent some time in Switzerland, where he and the rest of the GB Para Snowboard team head up the mountain each day where a racecourse has been built for them to train on. They’re training alongside the teams from Australia, Japan and Italy too.
“We’ll spend the morning up there, and then come down to have lunch, complete a gym session and then get some much-needed physio. We’ll also chat with the coaches and maybe have a look at video footage of the day to see where we can tidy up our runs.”
Physical training, recovery and mental preparation for races, as well as competing with the pressures of everyday life can take its toll on athletes.
“I think it’s like any job, you kind of just learn what works for you and try to make that routine stick for wherever you are. I’ve learned to love the 5.30am wake up call for the gym so I can get that out of the way before the 9-5 work. I have also made sure to not take the fun out of snowboarding; I still mess around, I still ride mountain bikes, and I still live a pretty normal life. Too much of anything can be a bad thing!”
This year’s games will mark Matthew’s debut at a Paralympic Games. Though Matthew’s inspiration to become a para-athlete came at the London 2012 Paralympics, where alongside his family he went to the ExCel to watch some of the events on offer.
“It was amazing to go and see the events at the ExCel – Ben Quilter of Blind Judo stands out the most, really cool to watch him. Sarah Storey was another big inspiration, I have always been into cycling and she’s an incredible athlete.”
Despite qualifying for the games in the top 14 in the world, Matthew claims that he only saw his first mountain when he turned 19, and alongside the fact we only experience a few snow days a year, the time and effort that has gone into his training to get to this point is remarkable.
“It’s unreal! I’ve been working towards this for a long time now and all the sacrifices are worth it. Never in my wildest dreams growing up in South Benfleet would I have thought I’d go to a Winter games.”
Matthew is looking forward to visiting new places throughout the games, and can’t wait to be in the environment, surrounded by the best athletes from all over the world. He is also looking forward to using his debut as a platform to showcase his skill live, so hopefully people back home can be inspired like he was at the 2012 games.
“I love going to new places, and I’ve not gone to Cortina before so I’m ready to soak that in for sure! I think it’ll just be amazing to be in an environment surrounded by the best athletes from all over the world, and to be able to showcase it live so hopefully people can be inspired like I was.”
“This isn’t going to be the last one if all goes to plan! So, I’ll keep training and racing, and head back to Edinburgh where I recently moved to, I’m on the job hunt currently to try and fund my pursuits and get back into a good routine. Hopefully I’ll start coaching kids part time on Mountain Bikes come Spring, always good to see the keen next generation.”
As well as being a world class snowboarder, Matthew is also a keen mountain biker and enjoys playing video games to help unwind. We asked how these hobbies help his performance and mindset.
“Great question! Mountain biking is great in the summer as a bit of cross training; it lets me stop thinking about snowboarding and keeps the cardio fitness up. There are some great crossovers too, having to look ahead and pick the right line is equally important for both sports. I’m not quite as fast on a bike yet, but keeping a healthy dose of speed and adrenaline helps make racing feel more normal. Gaming is just a release though; I love the social aspect of it and it’s good to have something that maybe uses more brain power than physical power.”
Like he was back in 2012, Matthew is keen to inspire the next generation of para-athletes.
“I truly believe there’s is a sport for everyone, and sometimes it’s not the one you think. Sport doesn’t have to be football or rugby. Sport doesn’t even need to be competitive! Try everything you can and see where it takes you; maybe with some perseverance and passion you’ll end up going to the Games one day!”
Channel 4 will play host to the coverage of this year’s games, so make sure to keep an eye out for Matt and the rest of the Paralympics GB squad, get behind them and see how they get on!
