An enduring LOVE
Matt Shirvington felt as if he was sticking out like a sore thumb in the backyard of a rowdy house party on Sydney’s lower North Shore. At 17, he’d recently qualified for the World Juniors, already on people’s radar as the Australian next big thing in athletics. And his hectic training schedule meant that he was tonight’s – indeed, every night’s – designated driver.
Still, he perked up as a willowy brunette wove her way through the bustling crowd to introduce herself. Little did he know this moment would kickstart an incredible relationship that now sees the pair preparing to celebrate 20 years of marriage and two award-winning careers, whilst also parenting three children, two of whom are now teenagers themselves.
“I spotted him and had just enough Dutch courage to go over and say hello,” Jessica Shirvington – then also 17 years old – tells The Weekly of her first encounter with the golden-haired athlete. “I was smitten from the beginning. Of course, he adored me too and wanted to see me again, but then I got chicken pox, and it took him about a month to come near me, he was so scared of getting it.”
“I didn’t want to not be able to train,” Matt, who still holds the record as the second fastest Australian sprinter of all time, explains
