Paralympics 2022: Ben Tudhope to compete for gold in honour of late friend Matthew Robinson

Australia’s leading gold medal hope at the Paralympics will compete in honour of his late friend and carry a special tribute with him on the slopes.

Aussie Para-Snowboarder Ben Tudhope wears the hopes of a nation on his sleeve and a symbol of a fond and never forgotten friendship on the inside of his green and gold blazer.

‘I ride for Matty’, entwined inside an infinity symbol, features on a piece of every Australian athlete’s uniform in Beijing and to Tudhope, it means more than even an elusive Paralympic medal.

Australia’s great Gold Medal chance at the Beijing Winter Paralympics says he owes much of who he is and how his career has blossomed to former teammate, friend and mentor, Matthew Robinson.

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It’s for Robinson, Australia’s first-ever IPC World Cup Gold Medallist, that the 22-year-old from Manly competes.

Just weeks out from the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics, Robinson crashed at the bottom of his first run at the IPC World Cup in La Molina, Spain.

He was airlifted to a hospital in Barcelona, where he underwent surgery to treat neck and spinal injuries.

While en route to Australia by specialised ambulance he suffered a cardiac arrest and could not be revived.

A 14-year-old Tudhope would march at his maiden Winter Paralympics wearing a black arm band in honour of his “best friend”.

Ben Tudhope trains ahead of the Beijing Paralympics.

Eight years later, with high hopes of a breakthrough Paralympics medal in Beijing, Tudhope still brings with him memories of Robinson.

“Matty was the first Paralympic snowboarder I met back in the day when I joined the team,” Tudhope said.

“He was on tour for a couple of years before I joined the team so he kind of took me under his wing and guided me for the first couple of years in Australia and my first season overseas he was my roommate, my team captain and one of my best friends on the tour as well.

“It was great to have a guy like that guide me when I was so young coming into the sport.”

Ben Tudhope and Matthew Robinson.

The ‘I ride for Matty’ message Ben Tudhope competes with.

“We were kind of like a dynamic duo on tour. I think he loved spending time with a 14-year-old kid who just loved to snowboard, and I loved spending time with an adult exploring and discovering the world with him,” Tudhope added.

“He was a larrikin – a super funny guy, with some absolute one-liners that just made everyone smile. He was one of the most loved guys on tour and just a classic Aussie.”

Ben Tudhope competing on the 2019 Para Snowboard World Cup Tour.

Ben Tudhope pictured in 2018.

Tudhope has matured from a bright-eyed 14-year-old boy who just loved snowboarding, into a mature, well-spoken 22-year-old co-captain of the Australian Winter Paralympic team.

“I really hope he would be proud and I hope to do him proud at these Games because that’s what this journey has become for me,” he said.

“I really want to get a great result and honour him and everyone who has supported me along this journey, this long process of the past eight years.

“I know 100 per cent he would be behind me and so proud. I’ve spoken to his family as well and they’ve sent their messages – it’s great that they’re supporting me.

“Matty meant a lot to me and to everyone.”

Tudhope begins his third Winter Paralympics campaign on March 6 in the Men’s Snowboard Cross LL-2. He is one of the medal favourites in both Snowboard Cross and Banked Slalom, which runs on March 12.

He became Australia’s youngest-ever Winter Paralympian when he was selected for the Sochi 2014 Games at just 14 and, despite now being one of our most experienced Paralympians, is still the youngest on the team at 22.

Ben Tudhope competing in PyeongChang.

His breakout season came in 2019 when he won his maiden Crystal Globe at the 2019-20 World Para-snowboard World Cup.

Last month he added a second Crystal Globe to his trophy cabinet, winning both of his Snowboard Cross races at Big White, Canada, in what was the perfect preparation for his assault on the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.

“I have come through the process of being the one hunting for a medal and now I’m kind of the one being hunted I guess. It’s a cool and different feeling for me,” Tudhope said.

“There are some expectations I’m putting on myself now, compared to say Sochi, but I feel I’m in the best headspace I’ve ever been in.

“(Winning) a medal would sum it up. For me, it would make me feel completed.

“This journey, especially the past four years from Korea (PyeongChang) to now, has been a really long and challenging but rewarding one. To top it off with a medal at these Games, knowing I got the job done, would complete it.

“It would be an honour to do that in front of Australia, my team, and for everyone who has supported me on this journey.”