Matthew RichardsMBE (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
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
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]
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]
