Meet legally blind surfing world champion Matt Formston
Former Paralympic cyclist and legally blind athlete Matt Formston has claimed a second world surfing championship. How does he do it?
WORLD champion surfer and Paralympic cyclist Matt Formston is not one to shy away from a challenge.
After getting off the bike at the Rio Paralympics in 2016, Formston — who has macular dystrophy — has risen to the top of the adaptive surfing ranks, claiming his second consecutive world title just before Christmas.
But he’s far from done. Formston, of Wamberal, is chasing another world title in 2019 and is keen to return to the Paralympics — this time as a surfer — should the sport get the go-ahead for the 2028 Games, when he will be 50 years old.
But his long-term sporting future will depend on what his three children, with his wife Rebecca, are up to.
“We will assess things year by year,” he said.
Formston said his most recent world surfing title was his most satisfying, given the increased level of competition.
“I won my first heat on day one and came second in the quarters and second in the semis as well; so I had to come from behind to win it,” he said.
“In the final I got two good waves early on and then played a bit more of a defensive game.”
While Formston can surf at his home beach at Wamberal by himself; when the surf is big, or when he is competing, he needs a spotter.
Having a spotter is a lot less complicated than the relationship that was required with a pilot in his tandem cycling days.
“We use eight words — we keep it really simple — in and out, north and south, left or right, yes and no,” he said.
“I can go anywhere in the world and, if someone’s a competent surfer, I can train them up in a day.”
Formston, who is also an executive at Optus, gets a buzz out of motivating people on the corporate speaking circuit.
“I’ve been doing it for over 10 years and I just love it; it’s the most rewarding thing I do,” he said.
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