Matt Targett is a swimmer who has competed for Australia. He competed at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
Targett started his Olympic career in Beijing 2008. After Eamon Sullivan blasted a new world record (47.24) for the 100 metres freestyle to hand the Australians an early lead, Targett and his other teammates Andrew Lauterstein and Ashley Callus could not maintain their pace in the next legs to end the same relay race with a bronze (3:09.91). He landed on the seventh spot in the 100 metres freestyle and snared a silver as a freestyle swimmer of the Australian men's team in the heats of the 4x100 metres medley relay.
Four years later in London, Targett and his teammates Sullivan, James Magnussen, and James Roberts missed the podium by 0.22 of a second with a fourth place time (3:11.63) in the 4x100 metres freestyle relay. In a surprise decision by the Australian coaching staff, he was selected to swim through the butterfly leg in the 4x100 metres medley relay. There, he teamed with Hayden Stoeckel, Christian Sprenger, and Magnussen to snatch a bronze with a time of 3:31.58 in the final round, trailing the winner United States by a couple of seconds and the runner-up Japan by 0.32 of a second.
Olympic Results[]
| Year | Event | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Men's 100m freestyle | 7th |
| Men's 4x100m freestyle relay | 
| |
| Men's 4x100m medley relay | 
| |
| 2012 | Men's 4x100m freestyle relay | 4th |
| Men's 4x100m medley relay |
|
2008[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metres freestyle | Heats | 48.40 | |
| Semifinal | 47.88 | ||
| Final | 48.20 | ||
| 4x100 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 3:12.41 (47.22 split) |
AR |
| Final | 3:09.91 (47.25 split) |
AR | |
| 4x100 metres medley relay | Heats | 3:32.76 (47.41 split) |
AR |
| Final | 3:30.04 (Reserve) |
AR |
2012[]
| Discipline | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 4x100 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 3:12.29 (Reserve) |
| Final | 3:11.63 (47.83 split) | |
| 4x100 metres medley relay | Heats | 3:33.73 (51.30 split) |
| Final | 3:31.58 (51.60 split) |