Matt Richards Wins Silver in 200m Freestyle at Paris 2024

Matt Richards narrowly missed out on Olympic gold, securing a thrilling silver medal in the 200m freestyle at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 21-year-old swimmer from Worcestershire, competing for Wales, delivered an exceptional performance from lane one, despite qualifying seventh fastest.

The race was a nail-biter, with Romania’s 19-year-old prodigy, David Popovici, clinching gold by a mere 0.02 seconds. Richards came agonizingly close to surpassing Popovici but fell just short in the final stretch. The bronze medal went to the United States' Luke Hobson, who finished 0.05 seconds behind Richards. Team GB’s Duncan Scott, who earned silver in the 200m freestyle at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, narrowly missed out on a medal this time, finishing in a heart-wrenching fourth place.

Matt Richards

Richards, reflecting on the close finish, expressed his frustration but also his determination to improve. "I felt like I had touched first but may not have applied enough pressure on the touchpad,” Richards said. “That’s something I’ve got to work on to ensure it doesn’t happen again. It’s not a sport where there’s room for debate—it’s black and white. While it’s excruciatingly frustrating to be just two one-hundredths off gold, it has only added more fire to my belly.”

The silver medal was Team GB's sixth of the day and contributed to their total of ten medals so far. Earlier, Britain’s Freya Colbert finished fourth in the 400m medley, missing out on a medal by 0.74 seconds. Canada’s Summer McIntosh won gold in that event, while Ireland’s Mona McSharry won the bronze in the 100m breaststroke, marking Ireland's first medal of the Games.

Richards's silver adds to his impressive achievements, which include gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as part of the men’s 4x200m relay team and at the 2023 World Championships. His performance in Paris continues to highlight his status as a leading swimmer on the global stage.

Adrian Moorhouse, the 1988 Olympic 100m breaststroke champion, praised Richards’s race, noting the narrow margin of victory. Steve Parry, an Olympic bronze medal swimmer, also commended Richards for his thrilling performance, emphasizing the dramatic nature of the race.

Matt Richards’s silver medal at Paris 2024 underscores his dedication, skill, and resilience in competitive swimming, marking another significant milestone in his career.