3-time Olympian Matt Gray awarded Pride of Australia Medal

Australian archer Matthew Gray was awarded the Pride of Australia Medal at a gala event in Sydney, Australia on 1 December 2016.

Launched 12 years ago, the Pride of Australia awards recognise those who have displayed acts of courage, bravery or community spirit.

A full-time officer in the water police, 43-year-old Gray was part of a four-man team that spent more than 24 hours on raging seas last January, making sure four boats and the passengers onboard were returned safely to land.

Matt has been in archery for over 35 years, starting the sport in 1980 and making his international debut in 1988.

He shot at Atlanta 1996, went to his home Olympics in Sydney in 2000 – and then returned for the Bejing 2008 Games. He won an indoor world team title back in 1999 and is also a Hyundai Archery World Cup stage medallist.

Despite having a full-time job, a family – three children – and three Games under his belt, Gray trained for Rio 2016 and was named as the reserve for the Games.