Matt Lenton.
Photo courtesy of Swan Hills.

Sprint champion Matthew Lenton has a unique claim in Australian Age swimming; winning the same event (50m Freestyle) at five consecutive National Age Championships and collecting two Australian Age Records in the process.

Standing at 195cm and weighing in at 100kg, Matt is unusual for a swimmer. He shuns the 'skinny but flexible' body type of your typical swimmer in favour of a build infused with power. Citing Arnold Schwarzenegger as his idol, Matt is redesigning the swimmers' body.

Matt's training regime is also unusual, preferring to spend more time in the gym than the pool, much to the chagrin of Coach Dion Mepham.  Matt believes that speed is generated by power and power is a function of muscle structure. So he carefully plans every aspect of his musculature.  Everything from kick-boxing to towing cars is included in his regime.

The result of this unorthodox training came when Matt recently crowned his age group career, with a gold medal at the Junior Pan-Pac swim meet in Hawaii and believes that he can swim much faster in the open ranks. He would like to one-day represent Australia at Commonwealth and Olympic Games and hopes to emulate some of his Olympic idols, such as Brett Hawke and Gary Hall Jr.

Stature is not the only unusual thing about Matt.  A fully qualified personal trainer, a business owner and web designer, he is serious about every facet of performance. When speaking of Matt, Dion Mepham says; 'Matt has become far more professional in his outlook in the past year. I am inspired by his dedication to perfecting the art of 50m Freestyle sprinting. However, it is his quest for achievement in all facets of his life that impresses me most. Matt is a quality human being.'

As co-owner of the Western Sprint Academy, he has taken another step in his love of sprinting. 'I gain motivation from trying to become the best that I can be' says Matt when asked about his desire for speed, 'my training partner, Steve Neuwert pushes me to the limit.'

Matt's musical taste is eclectic, enjoying AC/DC and Britney Spears, his favorite movies are Pumping Iron, Gladiator and the Rocky series. His hates include stupidity, rude people and waking up early. His favorite food is steak and his least favorite is some tropical fruits.