Matthew Thomas Walls MBE (born 20 April 1998) is a British road and track cyclist,[4] who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Groupama–FDJ.[5]

Matt Walls
MBE
Walls in 2019
Personal information
Full nameMatthew Walls
NicknameWallsey
Born (1998-04-20) 20 April 1998 (age 26)
Oldham, England
Height1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight72 kg (159 lb)
Team information
Current teamGroupama–FDJ
Disciplines
  • Track
  • Road
RoleRider
Amateur teams
2017–2019100% Me
2019EF Education First (stagiaire)[1]
2020Trinity Racing
Professional teams
2021–2023Bora–Hansgrohe[2][3]
2024–Groupama–FDJ
Major wins
Road

One day races and Classics

Gran Piemonte (2021)
Track
Olympic Games
Omnium (2021)
Medal record
Men's track cycling
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Omnium
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Madison
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Berlin Omnium
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Glasgow Elimination
Gold medal – first place 2020 Plovdiv Omnium
Gold medal – first place 2020 Plovdiv Elimination
Junior World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2016 Aigle Points race
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Aigle Team pursuit
U23 & Junior European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Aigle Junior Madison
Gold medal – first place 2016 Aigle Junior Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2017 Sangalhos Under-23 Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2018 Aigle Under-23 Scratch
Gold medal – first place 2018 Aigle Under-23 Madison
Gold medal – first place 2018 Aigle Under-23 Team pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2019 Ghent Under-23 Omnium
Gold medal – first place 2019 Ghent Under-23 Madison

Career

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Walls won the gold medal in the men's omnium event at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[6]

Walls was involved in an accident during the 2022 Commonwealth Games when his bike was catapulted over the barriers and into the spectators.[7]

Major results

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Road

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2016
1st   Points classification, Junior Tour of Wales
2018
Flèche du Sud
1st   Points classification
1st Stages 1 & 5
1st Stage 3 Paris–Arras Tour
2019
1st Stage 2 Giro Ciclistico d'Italia
2nd Overall Paris–Arras Tour
1st Stage 3
2nd Arno Wallaard Memorial
3rd Entre Brenne et Montmorillonnais
10th Road race, UEC European Under-23 Championships
2021 (2 pro wins)
1st Gran Piemonte
1st Stage 4 Tour of Norway
2024
2nd Circuit race, National Championships

Track

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2016
UEC European Junior Championships
1st   Team pursuit
1st   Madison (with Rhys Britton)
UCI World Junior Championships
2nd   Points race
3rd   Team pursuit
2nd Madison, National Championships (with Matt Bostock)
2017
1st   Team pursuit, UEC European Under-23 Championships
1st Six Days of Berlin Under-23 (with Ethan Hayter)
National Championships
1st   Madison (with Ethan Hayter)
1st   Omnium
2nd Team pursuit
2018
1st   Elimination, UEC European Championships
1st Omnium, UCI World Cup, London
UEC European Under-23 Championships
1st   Madison (with Ethan Hayter)
1st   Scratch
1st   Team pursuit
National Championships
1st   Omnium
1st   Team pursuit
3rd Scratch
2019
UEC European Under-23 Championships
1st   Madison (with Fred Wright)
1st   Omnium
National Championships
1st   Omnium
2nd Points race
2nd Team pursuit
2020
UEC European Championships
1st   Elimination
1st   Omnium
3rd   Omnium, UCI World Championships
2021
Olympic Games
1st   Omnium
2nd   Madison (with Ethan Hayter)

Honours and awards

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Walls was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Oldham on 8 September 2021.[8]

He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to cycling.[9][10]

References

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  1. ^ "EF Education First". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Bora - Hansgrohe". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  3. ^ Hickmott, Larry (24 August 2020). "Team News: BORA – Hansgrohe signs neo-pros Matt Walls". VeloUK. LH Publishing. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Matthew Walls". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  5. ^ "Groupama – FDJ". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Tokyo Olympics: Team GB's Matt Walls wins omnium gold". BBC Sport. 5 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Commonwealth Games: cyclists taken to hospital after crash involving crowd". The Guardian. 1 August 2022.
  8. ^ Mutch, James (2 September 2021). "Shaw cycling Olympic champion Matt Walls set to be given freedom of Oldham". The Oldham Times. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  9. ^ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N26.
  10. ^ "New Year Honours 2022: Jason Kenny receives a knighthood and Laura Kenny made a dame". BBC Sport. 31 December 2021.
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