Matthew Richards became Wales’ first Olympic swimming gold medallist in more than a century alongside Calum Jarvis in 2021, and now his sights are set on individual honours.
The 21-year-old Richards reached the pinnacle of his sport at the age of 18, winning Olympic gold as part of the men’s 4x200m relay team in Tokyo, Team GB’s first victory in the event since 1908.
A series of brilliant performances at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships included Matt winning out in the 200m Freestyle final, in what was arguably the most competitive domestic race in the history of British swimming. That was off the back of his involvement at the 2024 World Championships in Doha, helping to secure the Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay for Paris in the middle of a busy training block for himself and winning a Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay medal in the process.
Matt, a passionate Welshman, enjoyed a superb competition at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, triumphing with a perfectly-timed finish in the 200m Freestyle to win gold, before contributing to the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay victory – and breaking the British record in the 100m Freestyle. He also claimed Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay bronze.
“I’m in the shape of my life,” he said. “Coming off the back of becoming world champion individually last year, that fills me with a lot of confidence. But it’s going to be very, very hard. So I will take each race as it comes and enjoy it.”
Previous to that, the 2022 World Championships provided Richards with his first medal at the competition, as he took bronze after swimming the heats in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay. His time with Team Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham saw the swimmer collect a quartet of fourth placed finishes, before the European Championships in Rome provided him with a bronze, silver and gold in three relay events.
After moving to train under coach Ryan Livingstone at Millfield School in 2023, he enjoyed a stunning year individually, touching out teammate Dean to be crowned world champion in the 200m freestyle in Fukuoka.
Richards, who has a soft spot for fast cars and designer watches and invests on the stock market, will head to Paris with hopes of multiple medals after winning gold in his signature event at the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships.
Richards’ fiancée is fellow GB swimmer Emily Large, with the pair planning to marry a few days after Paris 2024.
