How Moving to a Smaller Club Helped Matt Richards Become a World Champion

SwimSwam caught up with Matt Richards, the unexpected world champion in the 200 freestyle in Fukuoka. To be fair, Richards had a sensational season leading up to world champs and looked prime to medal. Richards explains what the X-factors were throughout his season, from switching clubs to race strategy, that all lined up when it mattered most.

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Swimm
8 months ago

Still maintain more athletes should leave Bath

Swimm
Reply to  Swimm
8 months ago

For those who down voted, here ‘some’ not all, who have succumbed to the McNulty curse(of late)-

Freya Anderson
Brodie Williams
Holly Hibbot
Edward Mildred
Mathew Richards
Emily Large

bubbles
Reply to  Swimm
8 months ago

oof, bath seems to be in a similar situation to the stanford women’s team rn 😬

MastersSwimmer
Reply to  Swimm
8 months ago

What is the McNulty curse?

MastersSwimmer
Reply to  Swimm
8 months ago

Why do you say that? What do you mean?

Katy H
Reply to  Swimm
8 months ago

Don’t think it’s necessarily ‘leave Bath’ it’s more about utilising the options in the UK for all swimmers… constant pressure of being told they have to go to funded centres, it’s not always the right fit for them. Need to support our athletes to make the right choices for them, not just what UK Sport/British Swimming need for their stats

Togger
8 months ago

Listening to him talk about longevity and swimming into his late 20s, it would be interesting to hear his take on whether living rurally with the deliberate purpose of “eat, sleep, swim, repeat” is something he and Emily could or want to sustain for multiple quads, particularly in light of what we’ve seen with Dressel, Milak and Peaty recently.

TNM
Reply to  Togger
8 months ago

Regarding Dressel, maintaining a homestead farm seems like a healthy and productive distraction from swimming. Can’t be thinking about swimming 24/7.

Andrew
8 months ago

Zach Apple’s father

MastersSwimmer
Reply to  Andrew
8 months ago

What does this mean?

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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