Welsh swimmers starred in La Defense Arena pool as Team GB took five medals and came close to many more at the 2024 Olympic Games.
The Paris edition of the Games will go down as the most successful in modern history for Welsh pool swimmers, with two relay golds and an individual silver returning across the English Channel in the possession of our athletes. Of the 33-strong British swimming and marathon swimming team, Wales contributed five athletes in Matt Richards, Kieran Bird, Medi Harris, Daniel Jervis and Hector Pardoe (who is set to swim on August 9). Rhys Darbey will fly the flag for Wales and Great Britain in the Paralympic Games later this month.
Richards, Oliver Morgan, Adam Peaty and Duncan Scott brought the curtain down on an unforgettable nine days of pool swimming in the French capital as they just missed out on a podium place in the Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay.
But Richards, who won relay gold in Tokyo, played a starring role as Team GB defended their 4x200m crown alongside Duncan Scott, James Guy and Tom Dean. Compatriot Kieran Bird also took home a gold medal thanks to his valuable contribution in the heats that saw the British quartet earn a crucial centre lane for the final.
The previous night, the 2023 World Champion produced a stunning performance to take individual silver from lane one in the 200m Freestyle. It could have been so much sweeter for Richards as he was denied gold by two one hundredths of a second. David Popovici’s fingernail may have taken gold from Richards, but at just 21-years-old, he already has two Olympic Games under his belt and three medals to his name.
Unlike the Covid-affected Tokyo Games three years ago, this summer he was able to share his successes with his family and fiancée. And despite his successes, he is targeting more glory in LA in four years time.
“I’m very much a family man, my family are the most important thing in the world to me,” said Richards.
“Being able to share the whole experience with them and finish my races, whether it’s been a good one or a bad one, to be able to get out and give them a hug just makes it that little bit more special.
“This is what I do it for, doing it for my family. It’s been truly incredible to have them here and hopefully long may it continue.
“It’s been an amazing week. I can’t necessarily say it’s what I wanted to walk away with, but it’s my second Olympic Games, I’ve got an individual silver and another [4 x 200m Freestyle] gold with the boys, some great experience in relays like that tonight with the lads and I can’t walk away from it anything but happy.
“There is so much to learn from and so much to move forwards with – I’ve loved every minute and that’s the most important thing for me is that being in this arena is what I’ve always wanted to do since I was a little boy, and the longer I can keep doing that the more the results will come in over time.”
Richards also helped GB earn a fifth place finish in the Men’s 4x100m Freestyle relay and will be out to improve on his 200m Free semi-final finish in LA.
For Harris & Jervis, reaching these Games was a huge achievement considering the challenges they have overcome in 2024. Harris played an important part in helping GB’s Women reach the 4x200m final where they came fifth, before Jervis finished 15th overall in the men’s 1500m Freestyle.
Pardoe will take to the River Seine on Friday in the Men’s 10km Marathon swim looking to avenge his 2020 experience, where he was forced to withdraw with an eye injury. Nofio Clwyd swimmer Rhys Darbey will then begin his Paralympics campaign on August 4th in the SM14 200m Individual Medley.
