• Events:

  R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1/ R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1/R6 50m Rifle Prone mixed SH1

• Home Town:

  Peterborough

• Lives:

  Peterborough

• Trains:

  Stoke Mandeville

• Date Of Birth:

  30th October 1984

• Games Attended:

  London 12, Beijing 08

Matt used to play Wheelchair Basketball with local club, the Peterborough Phoenix, and also tried Archery. However, upon discovering he had a natural talent for Shooting at the 2006 Spinal Games at Stoke Mandeville, he chose to concentrate on the sport as he enjoyed competing and wanted to progress further.

The technical element of Shooting greatly appeals to Matt, who describes himself as a perfectionist. He thrives upon the need to consistently perform at his best because of the small margins for error in competition.

After less than two years in the sport, Matt returned home the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games with a gold medal, after securing victory in the R3 10m Air Rifle Prone Mixed SH1.

At London 2012, Matt was one of eight shooters to equal the world and Paralympic records with a score of 600 in the qualifying rounds of the R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1. In the final, he missed out on defending his title by just three-tenths to take the silver medal.

In his second event, the R6 50m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1, Matt pushed the defending Paralympic champion out of the medals and took an unexpected bronze in the event he had taken up just 18 months before the Games.

"I am speechless... I can't actually believe it at the minute. It's amazing."Matt Skelhon

Major Results

• 2012 London Paralympic Games
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: 18th
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: silver
  R6 50m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: bronze
   
• 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: 18th
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: gold

• 2012 IPC Shooting World Cup, Szczecin, Poland
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: silver
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: silver

• 2011 IPC Shooting World Cup, Fort Benning, USA   
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: 4th
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: gold
  R6 50m Rifle Prone mixed SH1: silver

• 2011 International Shooting Competition, Stoke Mandeville, UK
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: silver
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: gold

• 2011 IPC Shooting World Cup, Alicante, Spain
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: 6th
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: 12th
  R6 50m Rifle Prone mixed SH1: 6th

• 2011 Shooting World Cup, Antalya, Turkey
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: gold
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: gold

• 2011 IPC Shooting World Cup, Szczecin, Poland
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: silver
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: 5th

• 2010 Shooting World Cup, Stoke Mandeville, UK
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: 4th
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: gold

• 2010 IPC World Championships, Zagreb, Croatia
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: 6th
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: bronze

• 2010 IPC Shooting World Cup, Volmerange, France
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: 7th
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: gold

• 2010 IPC Shooting World Cup, Bad Orb, Germany
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: 9th
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: gold

• 2010 IPC Shooting World Cup, Antalya, Turkey
• R1 10m Air Rifle Standing men SH1: 5th
  R3 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed SH1: silver