Cooya wheelchair athlete Matt Sheppard has arrived on the Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2026 stage with his family in support and preparing himself for the meet of his life.

Competing in the F57 Shot Put, Matt takes to the Scotstoun Stadium Commonwealth Games arena on Saturday morning, August 1, with Douglas locals able to watch him in action from 7pm that Saturday.

Before departing, the Douglas Athletics member said he was “really stoked” to have made the Australian Commonwealth Games team, adding that it had happened sooner than he thought it would.

It was clear he had to be ranked in the top seven in the Commonwealth to make the cut to go to Glasgow, so he is in the mix if he has a good meet.

Matt, 37, is joined in Glasgow by his wife Erica and children Jax, 13, Nova, 11, and Freya, 9. It was a trip of a lifetime made possible with local fundraising events strongly supported across the Douglas Shire.

“We are all pretty pumped and ready to go,’’ Matt said before his departure.

“It is great for the kids, and for me to have them there.’’

Matt competes at state and national level in discus, javelin and shot put, disciplines he has either won or placed in at the Australian Championships.

The stocktrader says he was always sporty and his young family’s involvement in athletics led him to step up for the throwing events competitively just a couple of years ago.