Alumnus Dashes to Olympic Speedskating Trials

Matt Salm BS’18 grew up in the shadow of a U.S. Olympic Training Center in Wisconsin and loved watching the speedskaters during the Winter Games. So, leading up to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, he decided to chase a new goal — learning a new sport and vying for a speedskating spot on Team USA.

Salm competed in the U.S. Long Track Olympic Team Trials in January. While he didn’t make the cut, it was a memory he won’t soon forget.

“My skating wasn’t great, but I was thrilled just to be able to compete on that stage,” he said. “Even without fans, the atmosphere was unlike anything I’d experienced before — all the cameras, the Team USA banners, and the intensity and focus of dozens of athletes who had spent years training for this competition.”

Salm, who earned a degree in mathematics from UT Dallas and was a Eugene McDermott Scholar and an Archer Fellow, also received a prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship and a Udall Scholarship, and is the University’s first Schwarzman Scholar. He plans to continue his speedskating training for the next four years.

“If that culminates in success at the next Olympic trials awesome. Childhood dream achieved,” he said. “But if not, I still get to spend four plus years chasing my bliss.”

— Paul Bottoni