Matt Richards On Doing “Amazing Things” At Paris 2024, Expectation And The James Guy Effect At 2015 Worlds

Matt Richards: Photo Courtesy; Morgan Harlow, GB Aquatics

Matt Richards On Doing “Amazing Things” At Paris 2024, Expectation And The James Guy Effect At 2015 Worlds

Thirty-three swimmers selected to Team GB for Paris 2024

For Matt Richards, the spotlight that is shone on the biggest stage of all is “part and parcel” of being a leading force at the top table as he relishes the prospect of his second Olympics at Paris 2024.

The Welshman was 18 when he made his Olympic bow in Tokyo in 2021, swimming the third leg of the 4×200 free relay as Great Britain claimed the title for the first time since 1908.

Since then, the 21-year-old has added world and European titles to his armoury to become an established force among the leading pack in international waters.

Richards is set to compete in the 50, 100 and 200 free, the 4×1 and 4×2 free relays as well as the men’s 4×100 medley.

It follows his performances at the British trials at the Aquatics Centre last week where he won the 100 and 200 free as well as taking second over 50m.

With success comes the spotlight and subsequent expectation: for some, the pressure can be a burden but not for Richards who looks ahead to competing in the French capital come July.

Matt Richards: Photo Courtesy: Morgan Harlow, Aquatics GB

He said:

“Fundamentally, the reason I do what I do is because I love it.

“In terms of how do I feel about going into the Games? I don’t really feel any different to how I normally would, I am just excited to race.

“I am excited to get going, excited to go in and put myself against the best in the world, to go and stand on the blocks next to the best athletes from all around the planet and see what I can do.

“I think fundamentally that is what I love: and you can argue there’s some pressure on me now but I kind of don’t feel it because I am just doing it for me, I’m doing what I love, I’m doing what I enjoy.

“The pressure that comes with that is part and parcel of doing a good job of what I love so I think it’s something that I know is there but I don’t really feel it’s a big thing that I feel I’ve got a load of pressure on me.

“It’s like, yeah people will have expectations, they’re always going to have expectations, but I know I am in a great place physically and mentally, I know I can go and do amazing things.

“If we can even just replicate what we did in 2021 – one gold medal is still incredible, that would be an unbelievably good achievement for myself – but obviously I’d like to try and push on from there and try and do better than I did last time and what that then looks like who knows?”

Richards started his trials programme with victory in the 100 free in 47.84, leading home Duncan Scott for the second individual spot followed by Tom Dean and Alexander Cohoon with the first four comprising the 4×100 free quartet.

Up next was the 50 where he swam a Welsh mark of 21.83 for second behind Ben Proud, who was 0.14 outside his British record in 21.25, the third-fastest time of his career.

The final race of the six-day meet was the 200 free and a field of astonishing depth with seven Olympians who between them have so far claimed 14 medals, six of them gold, as well as having made 34 trips to the world podium.

Richards – who led home Dean for a British 1-2 at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka – managed his race superbly to win in 1:44.69 ahead of Scott, Dean and James Guy, the winning Tokyo 4×2 quartet to reunite once more in Paris.

Guy And The Gold Rush

The wheels were set in motion in 2015 when Guy won the 200 free title at the World Championships in Kazan.

Matthew Richards and Tom Dean of Great Britain react after winning the gold and the silver medals in the 200m Freestyle Men Final during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 25th, 2023.

Matt Richards & Tom Dean: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia

Five-time Olympic medallist Guy was joined by Dan Wallace, Robbie Renwick and Calum Jarvis in the 4×2, replacing a certain Duncan Scott following prelims to anchor the quartet to gold, the first time Great Britain won the title.

Silver followed at Rio 2016 since when there’ve been two more trips to the top of the world podium plus that Olympic gold in Tokyo.

Richards – who was 12 when Guy won the world title in Russia – pointed to the thread that began back in 2015 and the subsequent momentum.

“There’s lots of moving pieces….there’s so many different things that contribute to it but I think that some of the things that stand out are the pedigree we’ve got in those events now.

“Right from Jimmy winning the 200 freestyle gold in Kazan in 2015 all the way through to Duncan picking up individual medals at 2019 world champs, Duncan and Deano winning medals in 2021.

“We’ve got so much pedigree across those events of people winning and having success.

“And I think you gain a lot of knowledge from that, you can learn a lot from that.

“I think we’ve done a great job – I say we, I’m kind of at the bottom of this group, I’m kind of the one who has been absorbing it all.

“But they’ve done a great job of passing that knowledge down.

“Jimmy down to Duncan, Duncan to Deano, Deano to me – we’ve all just kind of tried to push each other on.

“I think on top of that, iron sharpens iron at the end of the day and I think when everybody is going so fast you know you’ve got to really quick to try and push on to the next level and to get yourself the individual spots.

“So I think that has kind of meant that all of us are pushing that little bit further before we even get to the Games just to make sure that we’re actually going to be there.”

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