Friday, October 23, 2026 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Richards is set to fill the Florida Men’s Swimming & Diving 22-man roster.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida's Swimming & Diving program welcomes Matt Richards of Worcestershire, Great Britain to the men's 2026-27 roster, head coach Anthony Nesty announced on Friday.
"We have been talking to Matt for a long time—but we finally worked it out. He is a great athlete and an even better person. He will improve all aspects of our team immediately. We will welcome him and his wife Emily to Gainesville this spring. Go Gators!" – Anthony Nesty
A native of Worcestershire, Great Britain, Richards will arrive to Gainesville in spring 2027 with a remarkable resume of international success and a place in Olympic history.
At just 18 years old, the freestyle specialist captured Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020, swimming the third leg of Great Britain's famed 'Fab Four' men's 4x200m freestyle relay. The quartet ended a 113-year relay drought, securing Great Britain's first Olympic title in the event since London 1908. Clocking 6:58.58, the team finished just .02 seconds shy of the Olympic record while establishing a new standard for British Olympic swimming.
Richards returned to the Olympic stage at Paris 2024, making history once again as part of the first British squad to successfully defend its Olympic title in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. Alongside Duncan Scott, James Guy and Tom Dean, Richards claimed his second Olympic gold in the back-to-back event victory. To cap off his second appearance in the Games, he earned his first individual Olympic medal, capturing silver in the 200m freestyle in a thrilling race decided by just two hundredths of a second between gold and silver. This pair of podium finishes further cemented Richards' place among the sport's elite.
Most recently, Richards represented Team Wales at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, emerging with four medals. He claimed silver in both the 100m and 200m freestyle before adding a pair of bronze medals in relay competition.
Since 2023, Richards has earned three world titles and earned three Olympic podium finishes since his Team Great Britain debut in 2020. His international resume boasts more than 30 podium finishes dating back to 2019, when he first represented Wales as a junior through his Welsh-born father. That same year, Richards claimed the European Junior title in the 100m freestyle, marking the beginning of an international career that has since carried him to the pinnacle of the sport.
Medal Breakdown
"Watching Caeleb Dressel race for Florida is what first made me want to be a Gator, and I've followed this team ever since. I'm close with a lot of the guys on the squad, so getting to race alongside them at SECs and NCAAs and help chase a national title is something I never thought I'd get the chance to do. I can't wait to get out there and get started." – Matt Richards
Matt Richards
Fans can stay up to date with the Florida Gator swimming & diving teams by following @GatorsSwimDv on X and catch up with the latest news and content of the team. Like the team's Facebook page at Florida Gators Swimming & Diving Fans can also keep up with the team by following them on Instagram at @Gatorsswimdv.
"We have been talking to Matt for a long time—but we finally worked it out. He is a great athlete and an even better person. He will improve all aspects of our team immediately. We will welcome him and his wife Emily to Gainesville this spring. Go Gators!" – Anthony Nesty
A native of Worcestershire, Great Britain, Richards will arrive to Gainesville in spring 2027 with a remarkable resume of international success and a place in Olympic history.
At just 18 years old, the freestyle specialist captured Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020, swimming the third leg of Great Britain's famed 'Fab Four' men's 4x200m freestyle relay. The quartet ended a 113-year relay drought, securing Great Britain's first Olympic title in the event since London 1908. Clocking 6:58.58, the team finished just .02 seconds shy of the Olympic record while establishing a new standard for British Olympic swimming.
Richards returned to the Olympic stage at Paris 2024, making history once again as part of the first British squad to successfully defend its Olympic title in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. Alongside Duncan Scott, James Guy and Tom Dean, Richards claimed his second Olympic gold in the back-to-back event victory. To cap off his second appearance in the Games, he earned his first individual Olympic medal, capturing silver in the 200m freestyle in a thrilling race decided by just two hundredths of a second between gold and silver. This pair of podium finishes further cemented Richards' place among the sport's elite.
Most recently, Richards represented Team Wales at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, emerging with four medals. He claimed silver in both the 100m and 200m freestyle before adding a pair of bronze medals in relay competition.
Since 2023, Richards has earned three world titles and earned three Olympic podium finishes since his Team Great Britain debut in 2020. His international resume boasts more than 30 podium finishes dating back to 2019, when he first represented Wales as a junior through his Welsh-born father. That same year, Richards claimed the European Junior title in the 100m freestyle, marking the beginning of an international career that has since carried him to the pinnacle of the sport.
Medal Breakdown
- 2024 Olympic Games, Paris (Paris, France) – Jul 2024
- Gold – 4x200m freestyle relay
- Silver – 200m freestyle
- 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo (Tokyo, Japan) – Jul 2021
- Gold – 4x200m freestyle relay
- 2026 European Aquatics Championships (Paris, France) – Aug 2026
- 1st – 4x200m freestyle relay
- 1st – 4x200m mixed freestyle relay
- 2026 Commonwealth Games (Glasgow, Scotland) – July 2026
- 2nd – 100 freestyle
- 2nd – 200 freestyle
- 2nd – 4x200 freestyle relay
- 2nd – 4x100 mixed freestyle relay
- 2025 Swimming World Cup (Carmel, Ind., USA) – Oct 2025
- 3rd – 200 freestyle
- 2025 World Championships (Singapore) – Aug 2025
- 1st – 4x200m freestyle relay
- 2025 European Short Course Championships (25m) (Lublin, Poland) – Dec 2025
- 3rd – 100m freestyle
- 2024 World Championships (Doha, Qatar) – Feb 2024
- 3rd – 4x100 mixed medley relay
- 2023 European Short Course Championships (25m) (Otopeni, Romania) – Dec 2023
- 1st – 200 freestyle
- 1st – 4x50 freestyle relay
- 2nd – 4x50 medley relay
- 2023 World Championships (Fukuoka, Japan) – Jul 2023
- 1st – 200m freestyle
- 1st – 4x200m freestyle relay
- 3rd – 4x100m mixed freestyle relay
- 2022 European Aquatics Championships (Rome, Italy) – Aug 2022
- 2nd – 4x100 mixed freestyle relay
- 3rd – 4x100 men's freestyle relay
- 2022 Commonwealth Games (Birmingham, Great Britain) – Jul 2022
- 1st – 4x100 medley relay
- 2nd – 4x100 freestyle relay
- 2nd – 4x200 freestyle relay
- 2nd – 4x100 mixed freestyle relay
- 3rd – 4x200 freestyle relay
- 3rd – 4x100 medley relay
- 3rd – 4x100 mixed medley relay
- 2022 World Championships (Budapest, Hungary) – Jun 2022
- 3rd – 4x200 freestyle relay
- 2021 European Aquatics Championships (Budapest, Hungary) – May 2021
- 1st – 4x100 mixed freestyle relay
- 2nd – 4x100 men's freestyle relay
- 2nd – 4x200 men's freestyle relay
- 2019 European Junior Championships (Kazan, Russia) – Jul 2019
- 1st – 100 freestyle
- 2nd – 200 freestyle
- 3rd – 4x100 freestyle relay
"Watching Caeleb Dressel race for Florida is what first made me want to be a Gator, and I've followed this team ever since. I'm close with a lot of the guys on the squad, so getting to race alongside them at SECs and NCAAs and help chase a national title is something I never thought I'd get the chance to do. I can't wait to get out there and get started." – Matt Richards
Matt Richards
- Hometown: Worcestershire, Great Britain
- Specialty: Freestyle
- Instagram: @m4ttrichards
Fans can stay up to date with the Florida Gator swimming & diving teams by following @GatorsSwimDv on X and catch up with the latest news and content of the team. Like the team's Facebook page at Florida Gators Swimming & Diving Fans can also keep up with the team by following them on Instagram at @Gatorsswimdv.
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