Matthew Glaetzer has triumphed over cancer, a severely injured calf muscle, and an excess of disappointing chocolates to secure his first Olympic medal after narrowly missing out at three previous Games.
On Tuesday night, Glaetzer, Leigh Hoffman, and Matt Richardson took a significant gamble by completely altering their starting lineup for the men’s team sprint bronze medal race.
The decision proved to be a winning strategy as they amazed the cheering crowd at the Olympic velodrome by defeating the host nation, France, to clinch third place in the event.
Glaetzer reflected on the burden being lifted from him. Before Paris, the number four had loomed far too large in his Olympic history.
This marked his fourth Olympics, and he had faced four fourth-place finishes—commonly referred to as the ‘chocolate medal.’
Since securing bronze in the men’s team sprint during the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Australia had placed fourth in every subsequent Games.
Glaetzer participated in the last three of those competitions and notably missed out on a match sprint bronze medal at the Rio Games.
Moreover, prior to Tokyo, he had battled thyroid cancer and a serious calf injury.
Matt Glaetzer broke down in his wife Nikki’s arms after he finally overcame an Olympics hoodoo to secure bronze with the Aussie men’s sprint cycling team
The 31-year-old was elated after taking third place after almost quitting the sport when he suffered a series of heartbreaking setbacks
‘An Olympic medal holds immense significance for me. I’ve experienced so much heartbreak in Olympic finals,’ Glaetzer expressed.
‘Every Olympic final I partook in has been so tough, and the last Olympics made me reconsider my future in cycling.
‘I’m extremely relieved I persisted and managed to lift that burden off my shoulders.
‘I’ve dedicated my entire elite career to achieving this.’
Glaetzer also shared his mixed feelings about not achieving a higher rank in this year’s team sprint.
Australia had pulled off an upset against the Netherlands to win the 2022 world title at the Olympic velodrome, but lost narrowly to them in last year’s championships.
Consequently, they arrived in Paris with high expectations, only to face challenges in their initial heat.
Despite winning, Glaetzer didn’t perform up to par as the third rider, resulting in Australia clocking the third-quickest time, trailing behind the Netherlands and Great Britain.
This placed them in the bronze medal race.
While Australia likely wouldn’t have beaten the Dutch, who shattered their own world record to win gold, Glaetzer acknowledged that their competition didn’t unfold as planned.
Glaetzer (pictured with wife Nikki) had come fourth at three previous Olympics, leaving him with the dreaded so-called ‘chocolate medal’
The South Australian had to beat a bout of thyroid cancer in 2019 to keep his Olympic dream alive – and he finally made it a reality after 12 years of trying
‘We believed we could have been competing for gold based on our capabilities, but it simply didn’t come together,’ he stated.
‘I knew we needed to change things in the final. We poured our hearts into the ride.’
Typically, Australia begins with Hoffman, followed by Richardson, and Glaetzer goes third, but this time they switched to Glaetzer, Hoffman, and Richardson in the bronze ride-off.
‘I was determined not to let this slip away again. It was a significant risk altering our order,’ Glaetzer mentioned.
Australian cycling legend and team chef de mission Anna Meares watched the event.
After securing only one gold and one bronze at the Tokyo Games, Australian cycling has already achieved two golds and two bronzes, with the record-breaking men’s team pursuiters competing for gold on Wednesday against Great Britain.
This marks the first instance of Australian cycling claiming multiple Olympic gold medals since the remarkable six wins in Athens.
‘I feel thrilled, but I’m not going to add any pressure,’ Meares commented.
‘I understand what it’s like to be in that position. Just allow them to follow their process and focus on their performance. Let the results unfold naturally.’
