Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to congratulate the Central Coast's own Matt Graham, who overnight became the first Australian to win a medal at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. In minus 11 degree temperatures, Matt, a 23-year-old from Narara, secured a silver medal in the moguls behind Canadian great, Mikael Kingsbury. I know many of us were up watching his dynamic twists and turns on TV last night as he powered his way to second place, pumping his fists on the way to 82.57 points. It was all over in 25 seconds or so, but it took many, many years of effort to get there.

Four years ago I stood in this place to congratulate Matt on his 7th place finish in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, and since then his journey has all been geared towards this day. To compete at this level, Matt sleeps in his bed at Narara for around 10 weeks a year in a non-Olympic year and he juggles a double degree in civil engineering and business. I know his family and friends will be the proudest people in the world today. As his dad, Stephen, said, 'It's not always easy with limited facilities for winter sports and competing on the biggest stage so far from home.' So perhaps now is the time to see what facilities we ought to invest in locally. But one thing is clear: nothing has gotten in the way of Matt Graham and his team. For example, Stephen has been driving his son from the Central Coast on a 6-hour trip down to Perisher to train. It's a wonderful story. I know all of us join together in congratulating Matt and all the Aussies competing in South Korea for all your achievements.