MATT SHIRVINGTON ‘GET READY TO RUN ! ’
THE FORMER OLYMPIC CHAMPION IS BACK ON A WHOLE NEW TRACK
The quickest game show on the planet, Ultimate Tag, is about to take over Australia. And there’s no better person to co-host opposite Abbey Gelmi than one of the country’s fastest ever sprinters, Matt ‘Shirvo’ Shirvington – who tells New Idea about all the high-speed fun in store.
Ultimate Tag is brand new in Australia. What will audiences love most about it? It’s a high-octane, competitive show that will put you on the edge of your seat from the first run. With flawless performances, near misses, stumbles, stacks and amazing acrobatic feats, it will keep you on edge all the way to the end, until a male and female Ultimate Tag champion is crowned.
The professionals competing have such diverse sporting backgrounds. What do they each bring? The Pro Taggers are the key to lifting Ultimate Tag to elite status – we have international-level athletes, gymnasts, martial arts experts, dancers, and some of the most talented and famous parkour athletes on the planet.
As Australia’s second fastest sprinter, will you be giving the course a shot?
I really wanted to, but I wasn’t allowed. Besides, with our Pro Taggers in such good shape, I’m not sure how well I would have gone to be honest!
The idea of ‘tag’ derives from a simple children’s game. Did your kids get the opportunity to test out the course at all? They came to the show during filming and were blown away by the arena! They would’ve loved to jumped on the course, but didn’t get a chance.
You competed on the very first season of Dancing with the Stars back in 2004. Now that the show is coming back for an All Stars season, would you be interested in returning? I loved my time on DWTS – it was an eye opener. I got a lot more out of the experience than I ever thought going into it. Would I do it again? I wouldn’t want to deny someone else the chance to have a go
– I highly recommend it.
Working on TV is obviously a complete change of pace from your athletic career. What do you love most about working on the small screen? I love being part of a team – whether it’s with the 7NEWS team or the amazing crew – all working towards producing the best TV we can and giving something special to the viewers.
I take great pride in being accountable, to make sure my performance stands up to those alongside me.