Matthew John "Matt" Elias (born 26 April 1979) is a retired

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

athlete who specialised in the 400 metres sprint and

400 metres hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women. On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once a ...

. During his international career he represented Great Britain. In 2003 he won a gold medal at the European Championships and at the

2004 Olympic Games The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

in Athens he finished 5th in the

4 × 400 m relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

, He is also a part of Super Schools. He won the European Under 23 Championships for the 400m hurdles in 2001 in a time of 49.57. The following year he was to have his most prolific season winning two silver medals in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Elias was born in Cardiff.

Biography

Matthew Elias was born in 1979 in Cardiff, Wales, one of two sons born to John Elias and Kathryn (née Hutchinson), the other being Ben (born 1976). In 1998, Elias was part of the Welsh team that competed at the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unprecedent ...

. He competed in the

4 x 400 metres relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

and set a new Welsh record in the final on the way to a bronze medal. In 1999, he won his first of three Welsh 400 metres titles. He also competed at the

1999 European Athletics U23 Championships The 2nd European Athletics U23 Championships were held in Gothenburg, Sweden, at Ullevi from 29 July to 1 August 1999. Complete results and medal winners were published. Results Men Women Medal table Participation According to an ...

that year, in the

and

. He won his heat of the 400 metres hurdles with a season's best of 50.84, before finishing last by over a second and a half in the final. He ran only in the final of the 4 x 400 metres relay, running second leg to help the British team secure a bronze medal. In 2000, he won the

Amateur Athletic Association The Amateur Athletic Association of England or AAA (pronounced 'three As') is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world, having been established on 24 April 1880. Historically it effectively oversaw athletics throughout Britai ...

(AAA) U23 400 metres hurdles title. He also won the Welsh 400 metres hurdles title. In 2001, he won the 400 metres at the Welsh Indoor Championships. He competed in the

2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 8th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Pavilhão Atlântico in Lisbon, Portugal from March 9 to March 11, 2001. It was the first time the Championships had been held in Portugal. There were a total number of 511 part ...

in the men's

, finishing second behind eventual champions Poland in the heats before finishing outside the medals in fourth in the final. He retained his AAA 400 metres hurdles title, running almost a second and a half quicker than he had the previous year. He also switched back to the 400 metres at the Welsh championships and won his second 400 metres title. He competed at the

2001 European Athletics U23 Championships The 3rd European Athletics U23 Championships were held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, at Olympisch Stadion on 12–15 July 2001. Results Complete results and medal winners were published. Men Women Medal table Participation According to ...

in the

and the

, taking home two gold medals. In his hurdles heat he was the only athlete to go under 50 seconds, recording a time of 49.90 to win. In the final he set a season's best of 49.57 to win the gold medal. He raced in both the heats and the final, running anchor leg on both occasions to lead Great Britain to a closely fought victory over Germany. In 2002, he won the 400 metres hurdles at the English Commonwealth Games trials, held in Manchester. He also won his third and final Welsh 400 metres title. He competed at the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...

, winning two silvers, one in the individual

and the other in the men's

as part of a Welsh quartet that included British-record holder Iwan Thomas. In the 400 metres hurdles, Elias set a Welsh record in the heats to go through to the final as the fastest qualifier, before being beaten by England's Chris Rawlinson in the final. In the 4 x 400 metres relay, Elias ran anchor leg in the final, losing out on the gold medal by 0.01 seconds as he was beaten by England's Daniel Caines to the line, whilst setting another Welsh record. He competed in the

2002 European Athletics Championships The 18th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 August to 11 August 2002 in the Olympic Stadium of Munich, Germany. Men's results Track 1994 , 1998 , 2002 , 2006 , 2010 , 1 Dwain Chambers originally won the 100 m in 9.96 and was p ...

in both the

and

. In the 400 metres hurdles, he finished third in his heat, failing to progress to the semi-finals. In the relay, he ran anchor leg in the heats, in which Great Britain won their race, before running second leg in the final on the way to winning a gold medal.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Elias, Matt 1979 births Living people Sportspeople from Cardiff Welsh male sprinters British male sprinters Olympic athletes of Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Wales Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games European Athletics Championships medalists Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games