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Matt Richards (swimmer)

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Matthew Richards
MBE
Richards in 2021
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (2002-12-17) 17 December 2002 (age 21)
Worcester, England
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight85 kg (187 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Great Britain
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 2 1 0
World Championships (LC) 2 0 3
European Championships (LC) 2 3 1
European Championships (SC) 2 1 0
Total 8 5 4
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo 4×200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris 200 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 2023 Fukuoka 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2023 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Budapest 4×200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Fukuoka 4×100 m mixed freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Doha 4×100 m mixed medley
European Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 2020 Budapest 4×100 m mixed freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Rome 4×200 m mixed freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2020 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2020 Budapest 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2022 Rome 4×100 m mixed freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Rome 4×100 m freestyle
European Championships (SC)
Gold medal – first place 2023 Otopeni 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2023 Otopeni 4x50 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2023 Otopeni 4×50 m medley

Matthew Richards MBE (born 17 December 2002) is a British swimmer specialising in 100 and 200 metre freestyle, active internationally from 2020. He won the gold medal in the 200 metre freestyle at 2023 World Aquatics Championships, a silver in the 200 m freestyle at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Olympic gold in the 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics and World gold in the same event at the 2023 World Championships.

Richards swam the third leg of the gold-medal winning Great Britain 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics, the first British team to win the event since 1908. Previously, he had won two silver medals in team freestyle relays at the European Championships.[1] In 2023 he won the British Championships in the 200 metres for the first time, holding off Olympic champion Tom Dean, former World Champion James Guy and multiple Olympic and World medalist Duncan Scott, all teammates from the 2020 relay squad. In July 2023, Richards again held off Dean as well as defending World champion David Popovici to win the gold medal in the 2023 World Championships, before following up with gold in the men's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay and bronze in the mixed 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay.

Early life

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Matt Richards was born in Droitwich, Worcestershire, England, to Amanda and Simon Richards.[2][3] He started swimming when he was five years old at Droitwich Leisure Centre, and joined the Droitwich Dolphins Swimming Club when he was eight, later moving to Worcester Swimming Club aged ten. He played other sports such as rugby and tae kwon do but gave them up to concentrate on swimming.[4] He was a student at Bishop Perowne Church of England College.[5]

Career

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Although born in England, Richards represented Wales as his father was born there.[6] He broke the Welsh records in 100 and 200 metre freestyle.[6] He became the junior champion in 100 m freestyle at the 2019 European Junior Swimming Championships held in Kazan.[7]

He competed in the men's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2020 European Aquatics Championships, in Budapest, Hungary,[8] and won two silver as part of the British team in the men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle and 4 × 200 metre freestyle relays.[9][10] He was also part of the team that won gold in 4×100 m mixed freestyle, although he swam in the heats and did not swim in the finals.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he was in the men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay together with James Guy, Duncan Scott, and Tom Dean. He swam the third leg in 1 minute 45.01 seconds, a performance that helped the team win gold with a time of six minutes 58.58 seconds.[11] The gold is Britain's first in 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay at the Olympics since 1908.[11]

In 2023, he won the gold medal at the 2023 British Swimming Championships in the 200 metres freestyle.[12] He won gold in the 200m freestyle as well as the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships held in Japan.[13][14]

After winning both the 100 metres freestyle and the 200 metres freestyle at the 2024 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, Richards sealed his place at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[15]

At the 2024 Summer Olympics held in Paris, Richards was only the seventh fastest qualifier for the 200 m freestyle final. However, Richards swam a fast race in the final, and was beaten to second place by only 0.02 of a second by David Popovici.[16] In the Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay, the same four quartet of British swimmers who won in the same event at the Tokyo Olympics, James Guy, Duncan Scott, Tom Dean and Richards contested in the final. They won the relay with a time of six minutes and 59.43 seconds, and became the first team to have successfully defended an Olympic swimming relay title with the same four swimmers.[17] They are also the first British team to have defended an Olympic relay title in swimming or athletics.[18]

Awards

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Richards was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to swimming.[19][20]

References

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  1. ^ "Three British medals on opening day of swimming at European Championships". Swimming.org. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Who is Matt Richards". Matt Richards.
  3. ^ Rehman, Shannen (28 July 2021). "Droitwich-born Matthew Richards helps bring home Olympic gold medal". Worcester News.
  4. ^ "Worcester swimmer Matt Richards targets place at 2020 Olympics". Worcester News. 24 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Swimming success for Year 8 pupil". Bishop Perowne Church of England College.
  6. ^ a b Brown, Tom (17 May 2021). "'We're not going to Tokyo for the tracksuits' - meet two rising stars of Welsh swimming". BBC Sport Wales.
  7. ^ "Richards strikes gold for Britain at European Junior Swimming Championships". Swimming.org. 5 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Men's 100 metre freestyle: Start list" (PDF). Budapest 2000. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  9. ^ "European Swimming Championships: Great Britain win silver in men's 4x100m freestyle". BBC Sport. 17 May 2021.
  10. ^ "European Swimming Championships: GB win silver in men's 4x200m freestyle". BBC News. 19 May 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Matthew Richards fires Team GB to stunning gold in men's 4x200m freestyle relay". EuroSport. 28 July 2021.
  12. ^ "British Swimming Championships 2023". British Swimming. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  13. ^ "World Aquatics Championships 2023: GB's Matt Richards and Tom Dean win 200m freestyle gold and silver". BBC Sports. 25 July 2023.
  14. ^ Smirnova, Lena (28 July 2023). "World Aquatics Championships 2023: British men's 4x200m freestyle relay team snatches world title from defending champions USA to avenge 2022 disappointment". Olympics.com.
  15. ^ "Speedo Aquatics GB Swimming Championships 2024". Swimming.org. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Richards wins silver with GB team-mate Scott fourth". BBC Sports. 29 July 2024.
  17. ^ Charlesworth, David (30 July 2024). "Great Britain quartet retain 4x200m relay title to give GB first Paris pool gold". The Independent.
  18. ^ Henry, Matthew (30 July 2024). "GB retain relay title to win first swimming gold". BBC.
  19. ^ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N24.
  20. ^ "New Year Honours 2022: Jason Kenny receives a knighthood and Laura Kenny made a dame". BBC Sport. 31 December 2021.
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