
Matt Elias
Matt Elias
During a 5 year period in the early 2000s, Matt Elias was one of Britain’s leading 400m hurdlers, setting a Welsh record which was to stand for almost 11 years until beaten by European Champion Rhys Williams. He was one of four Welshmen who were to dominate the event in Britain during a 20 year period from the late 1990s. The others being Dai Greene, Williams and Paul Gray.
His best season was undoubtedly 2002 where in Manchester’s Commonwealth Games he won silver medals in both the 400m hurdles, setting a Welsh record in the heats (49.11) and in the 4 x 400 relay. He ran a scintillating last leg in the relay but was just pipped on the line by England’s Danny Caines. However his fine run was rewarded with a Welsh record of 3:00.41, as he teamed up with the powerful squad of British record holder Iwan Thomas, Olympian Tim Benjamin and world indoor champion Jamie Baulch. This record still stands today. Matt’s leg was timed at 44.2 – the fastest of the race. Matt thought that he had brought Wales home to the gold medal, but his exuberant delight was turned to dismay when he found that he had lost out by a mere one-hundredth of a second to the jubilant Swansea University law student Caines.
Matt was hoping for another Commonwealth medal and hopefully gold in the next Games in 2006 – his third appearance in the Games. But after winning his heat in Melbourne in 49.77 secs, he was unwell and failed to qualify for the final with a poor run in the semi-final.
His first Commonwealth Games appearance came in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 aged 19 where he gained valuable experience but going out in the semi-finals.
He announced his arrival on the international scene in 2001 with victory in the European under 23 championships in Amsterdam with a personal best 49.57 secs. He also won a gold medal as part of the British team 4 x 400 team. A 400m relay bronze also came his way in the European under in 1999 championships in Gothenburg, also reaching the final of his speciality event.
In the European Championships in Munich, just two weeks after his Manchester glory in 2002, he won his first senior gold medal when he joined Jamie Baulch, Danny Caines and Sean Baldock to take the 4 x 400 crown for Britain. But he failed to qualify for the final in the 400m hurdles heats.
His only Olympic appearance came in the Athens Games of 2004, where he finished 5th as part of the British squad in the 4 x 400m relay.
He had a fine run in Britain’s match against the USA in the rain of Glasgow in 2002, clocking his second fastest time of 49.46 secs behind the outstanding Americans Joey Woody and James Carter. Woody went on to win the silver medal in the following year’s Paris World Championships, whilst Carter clocked one of the world’s fastest times of 47.43 when taking the silver in the 2005 Helsinki World Championships.
His only appearance in world championships came in the 2001 indoor championships in Lisbon, where after a fine third place in the AAA (UK) 400m indoor championships he was part of the British team taking 5th spot in the 4 x 400 relay.
Matt never forgot his Cardiff roots and was a frequent performer for Cardiff AAC in the British League. He won his only 400 hurdles Welsh title in 2000, but took the flat title on 4 occasions, including indoors in 2001. He also took two Welsh junior titles in 1997 – one at his speciality and one without the hurdles. He took the AAA (UK) title in 2005 following successes in the under 23 competitions in 2000 and 2001.
Matt is one of the finest athletes to have been produced by Wales, and remarkably, his roots are in the same village – Nantyffyllon – as one of Wales’s other top 400m hurdlers, Rhys Williams. Matt’s dad John hailed from the village as did Rhys’ father, John (JJ)
His entry into the top echelons of British athletics was natural, for as well as his father being Britain’s top under 20 long jumper, mum Kath won Welsh schools titles and was a leading figure for many years in the organisation of the sport in Wales.
Matt’s induction into the Welsh Athletics Hall of Fame is well deserved as befits one of Wales’s finest track and field stars.
Clive Williams
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