AS far as buddies go, Beau Matthews has hit the jackpot for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The Dolphins’ rookie has been paired with world record-holder Cam McEvoy and the experienced Elijah Winnington as his tour “buddies” for his breakthrough senior meet.

Matthews, an S10 athlete from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, trains at AquaBlitz Toongabbie under coach Gavin Stewart, balancing a high-performance program that regularly starts before 4am and then transitions into study via distance education.

The 17-year-old has cantered to gold cap selection after a standout season in 2025 where he set 16 national age records and became a recipient of the Commonwealth Games Australia Kurt Fearnley Scholarship.

The swimmer they dub ‘running man’ for his behind the blocks running warm-up was in the air above the Tasman Sea when he found out he had been selected and has been floating on cloud nine ever since.

“I’m ecstatic about going over with the team and hopefully bring home some medals and good times for Australia. I just can’t wait … my coach (Gavin) and I have worked together on this for years,” he said.

“100 per cent I am going to give my best.”

“Obviously, I’d love to win but as long as I can walk out of Glasgow knowing that I did the best that I possibly could, I’ll be very happy.”

Born with dystonic cerebral palsy and introduced to the water early as part of his physical therapy, Matthews quickly developed a love of racing.

A defining moment of Matthews’ swimming journey came when as a 10-year-old he watched clubmate Alex Tuckfield win bronze at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, an achievement that inspired him to set his sights on earning a Dolphin pin of his own.

“Alex was, at the time, one of the only Para swimmers who I really knew because we’re very similar in classifications and have a very similar condition, so I really idolised him from a young age,” Matthews said.

The pair – Matthews and Tuckfield – still train together today at Aquablitz Toongabbie.

In 2026 alone, Matthews has won 17 medals across the World Para Series, State Championships, Australian Championships, and New Zealand Championships, broken multiple age records, recorded four top-five World Para Swimming rankings, and will enter Glasgow as the highest-ranked Commonwealth athlete in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB9 event.

“One thing I would take away from Trials last year, to this year, is to be a lot more relaxed because I now have that extra confidence of like ‘Oh, I’ve already hit the times.’ I just want to keep in my own head and get ready to execute my race plan as best as I possibly can,” he said.

And as for his nickname of “The Running Man”.

“I wouldn’t start off the blocks fast enough [when I was younger],” Matthews laughed.

“So, Gavin was like ‘Why don’t you run behind the blocks?’”

“It worked, and it kind of stuck. I also do a bit of running activation, so it all just stuck and people just start calling me ‘Running Man.’”

Matthews’ reaction on social media summed it up best: “The Running Man is green and gold and Glasgow bound!”