Matt Lee

I started athletics as a junior when I was 15 after I used to swim nationally with Ellie Simmonds and playing Football to academy level. When I was 18 I used to train twice a week for about 2 hours and it wasn’t something I was completely committed to. After consistently training for 3 months I managed to come 4th at my National Championships. It was then I realised I was quite good and should give Decathlon a go. At university I decided to fully commit to athletics and took the sport serious where I would train for 40 hours a week 6 days a week. Such a jump in training load took its toll on my body where it broke down and injuries started happening. In my 2nd year I managed to cope better. I was in a position where I was challenging for international vests. And in the summer of 2015, after doing a grade 2 hamstring tear 8 weeks before my National Championships and hardly training I managed to come 3rd and secure an England Vest. In my first international I came 2nd in the most horrendous conditions. In 2016 I was going from strength to strength, until the same thing happened again, 3 weeks out from challenging for a GB indoor vest I tore my hamstring again. It was a decision to risk competition that I felt was worth the sacrifice, it was paying off as I was winning the competition I was 2 events away from becoming national champion. Then I dislocated my shoulder in pole vault, but I was still selected for the GB team but had to give up my spot as I hadn’t recovered in time. Such a blow and serious injury knocked me and more injuries started happening. But did I give up… NO! I am still training for what I want to achieve. I moved to Liverpool in 2018 and committed my life to athletics. It was a risk that has paid off. I have been back competing after 3 years and have managed to get myself into the best shape of my life and mixing it with some of the top athletes in the country again. I am building for a big year of 2019 where I hope to represent GB twice both indoors and outdoors and pursue my dream f making a Global championships.