Baton Rougeans might remember Matt Vincent’s work with the LSU track and field team back in 2005, when Vincent was an NCAA regional qualifier in both shot put and discus.
Since graduating, the Sulphur native has gained worldwide attention. In 2014, he took home titles in the National Highland Games Championship and North American Championship for “throwing the stone.”
This weekend, he’ll defend his championship status abroad at the World Heavy Events Highland Games in Bressuire, France.
In the current issue of 225, Faith Dawson sat down with Vincent to talk about his approach to lifting and how he maintains a cheerful but serious attitude.
“For me, the definition of physically fit has very little to do with how pretty you are,” he says.
Outside of competition, Vincent has a full calendar. He has a day job as a sales rep for a construction company. He also affably hosts a web series called “Drifta Lifta” that highlights the people he meets during his travels. And he operates an apparel company called HVIII.
All the jobs don’t fit what he describes as his nature to “be a bum.”
“I would prefer to lie around and be on the couch,” he says. “It’s overcoming the human nature in me to be lazy and eat terrible things and not work out … [It’s] for the greater good, to hit my goals, to be able to see the world.”
