The Running Man: Why Beau Matthews is Ready for Glasgow

Beau Matthews was somewhere above the Tasman Sea when he found out he had made the Australian Commonwealth Games team for Glasgow 2026.

The New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Para swimmer was on a flight to Auckland for the New Zealand Championships alongside several future Australian teammates, when a text from his mum delivered the news.

“She messaged me and that’s how I found out,” the multi-class swimmer recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh, okay, the selection is on Instagram…cool!'”

“We were all just waiting for [the news] and very happy to have it all done and dusted.”

His family and long-time coach Gavin Stewart were equally thrilled, with Matthews describing selection as a milestone they had worked towards together for years.

Between international racing, Commonwealth Games selection, and the possibility of racing the Senior Pan Pacific Championships in California later this year, Matthews admits the reality of representing Australia is beginning to sink in.

“It got real close, real quick,” he said.

Yet only a few years ago, Matthews was a 10-year-old boy watching his teammate and mentor Alex Tuckfield achieve his dream of winning a Paralympic medal at Tokyo 2020.

“Alex was, at the time, one of the only Para swimmers who I really knew because we’re very similar in classifications and have a very similar condition, so I really idolised him from a young age,” Matthews said.

“The fact I got to see him do so well and win bronze at Tokyo – it really made me envision what I could do if I put hard work into the sport like he had done.”

The pair – Matthews and Tuckfield – still train together today at Aquablitz Toongabbie Swim Club and the NSWIS Gym, with Matthews describing their relationship as more like brothers than teammates.

“The last thing he told me was: ‘Go out onto the blocks and do you; don’t be affected by people who are around you…focus on yourself, your pre-race plan, and just execute the way you need to.'”

After narrowly missing selection for the World Para Swimming Championships last year, Matthews was left disappointed but determined.

“I was very, very nervous at Trials last year,” he explained. “In my 200m IM I was very much in my own head a bit. For the first time – I noticed the crowd, I could hear everything. My coach said I was a bit like a deer in headlights.”

“One thing I would take away from Trials last year, to this year, is to be a lot more relaxed because I now have that extra confidence of like ‘Oh, I’ve already hit the times.’ I just want to keep in my own head and get ready to execute my race plan as best as I possibly can.”

A year later, that goal has now become reality. In 2026 alone, Matthews has won 17 medals across the World Para Series, State Championships, Australian Championships, and New Zealand Championships, broken multiple age records, recorded four top-five World Para Swimming rankings, and will enter Glasgow as the highest-ranked Commonwealth athlete in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB9 event.

“I’ve really enjoyed the season so far,” he said. “We’ve just been working to try and get as fast as possible for the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs.”

The timing of the New Zealand trip proved ideal, offering Matthews a taste of international racing before Glasgow.

“I had a really good 100m breaststroke swim,” he said. “First time cracking 1:08, I was super happy with that.”

“The fact that we’ve already [hit sub-qualifying times in multiple events] without even getting close to Trials, it’s really cool to be in the position that I am – going into being one of the favourites for Commonwealth Games and a good chance for Pan Pacs.”

As swimming evolved from a hobby into a serious pursuit, Matthews earned a nickname of his own: “The Running Man.”

“I wouldn’t start off the blocks fast enough [when I was younger],” Matthews laughed. “So, Gavin was like ‘Why don’t you run behind the blocks?'”

“It worked, and it kind of stuck. I also do a bit of running activation, so it all just stuck and people just start calling me ‘Running Man.'”

His dream has been built on years of commitment, dedication, self-belief, and sacrifice. Most weekdays begin with 3:30am wakeups, lengthy drives to several training centres across Sydney, and multiple sessions squeezed around school commitments.

“My support group is incredible,” Matthews said. “I wouldn’t be able to do it without any of them.”

“My dad’s trying to urge me to get my driver’s licence…No more early wakeups for him after that!”

Matthews was born with cerebral palsy, and his family were told by doctors that he may never walk, talk or care for himself independently.

“My mum really did not accept that,” he said. “[So, she] helped me develop muscle…to be able to do everything that I need to do, to be what I want to be.”

“They [parents] had no expectation of me being a swimmer or anything like that. They just wanted me to be able to do the best that I can do…Both have made an incredible amount of sacrifices to be able to help me get where I am today.”

Behind all the success, Matthews has spent much of this year navigating physical and mental challenges, including managing the effects of cerebral palsy and battling frustration over a stubborn one-minute barrier in his 100m butterfly.

“My condition affects me a lot physically,” Matthews said. “I’ve had a lot of cramping and migraines, so that’s impacted a lot of my training throughout earlier in the year.”

“I also haven’t PB’d enough in my 100m butterfly. We’ve been stuck on a minute for a while, so we’re just trying to keep getting that down as much as we can.”

“It’s rough to be stuck on that time barrier, but eventually I’ll keep getting stronger, and hopefully faster to try and get it down. Roadblocks are obviously a part of the sport, but we just keep pushing to try and cross them as best as we possibly can.”

“[My condition] really gives me something to prove. That I can do all these things, and I really want to do as well as I possibly can at Commonwealth Games to show the world what I can do.”

After a two-week break following last year’s Trials, he launched his “Road to Comms” social media campaign, documenting the work required to chase a Commonwealth Games berth.

“I really wanted to share my experiences of coming off trials and then getting ready to try and qualify for the Games. It’s been really exciting to share my journey, and I would say it’s really important to me.”

“I’d love to just do the best that I possibly can. Obviously, I’d love to win, but as long as I can walk out of Glasgow knowing that I did the best that I possibly could, I’ll be very happy.”

Beyond medals and rankings, Matthews hopes his journey can inspire others to chase ambitions that may seem impossible. “If you have a dream, you really have to fight for it with everything you have.”

Making the team is not the end of Matthews’ “Road to Comms” journey, but the beginning of its next chapter.

Matthews’ reaction on social media sums it up best:

“The Running Man is green and gold and Glasgow bound!”

Images: Rachel Tingey (NSWIS) and Beau Matthews