[ad_1]
Matt Shirvington is a television host on Sunrisebest known for holding the Australian 100-metre sprint title from 1998 to 2002. The 45-year-old shares his memories of raiding his nan’s lolly jar, how his sister used his speed to their advantage and why he loves raising teenage girls.
“You evolve in a relationship when you get together as young as we did – you go from kids to adults together.”Credit: Getty Images
My maternal grandmother, Betty, lived nearby when I was growing up and we’d often visit her and my grandpa, Jack. Nan was from Lithgow [NSW] and would always have the horse racing on, or be playing country music on her record player.
Whenever I visited Nan, I’d go straight to her pantry. But there was a distinct creak in the floor and you could hear her in the background saying, “Who’s at the pantry?” She passed away at 73 from brain cancer.
My paternal grandmother, Mary, lived on the NSW Central Coast and attended all my significant milestones, including my high school graduation. She always gave the best hugs. My wife, Jessica, and I named our eldest daughter Sienna Mary after her. She lived into her 90s and always let you raid the lolly jar.
My mum, Jenny, worked as a teacher at my primary school and taught for more than 40 years. Mum never taught me in class, but she was always just a few doors away and at the end of the school day I’d wait to go home with her.
Loading
I have two older sisters – Peita, who’s 50, and Elissa, who’s 48. I always got the female perspective in life thanks to them, and that was special. We grew up very close. I would go to watch them play sport and when I started running and competed internationally, they travelled the world to support me.
As a young kid, I was very competitive. If my sisters ever wanted anything from the kitchen or bathroom they would challenge me by timing how quickly I could get what they wanted. I used to think I was breaking my records every time and only realised later that they never counted anything.
It was Mum who contacted the NSW Institute of Sport when I was 16 to put me in touch with an athletics coach. She said to me, “Imagine what could happen if you did a bit of training.” That changed my path. I went from an average athlete to being one of the best in the world within a few years.
[ad_2]
Source link
