Matt Richards Admits British Title Win Was As Tough As Any

Matt Richards. Pic: Alamy

Welsh Olympic champion Matt Richards is also the best of British again, but has reflected on a difficult title win.

Matt Richards admitted the pressure of racing familiar rivals at the British Swimming Championships made this week’s men’s 100m freestyle final one of the most mentally challenging of his career.

The Team Wales Commonwealth Games star felt even more pressure than in races on the global stage as he led home a powerful British quartet on a landmark night of swimming in London on Thursday.

Olympic champion Richards produced a commanding performance to retain his national title, stopping the clock in 47 seconds once again, as he and three teammates – teenage sensation Jacob Mills, Tom Dean, and Jacob Whittle – booked their spots for the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore via the men's 4x100m freestyle relay qualifying standard.

Richards, reflecting on the victory and the head-to-head nature of the event, said:
“That was really, really good, I’m really happy with that.

“It’s always tough in these British finals, especially that 100m freestyle. It’s the first one of the week – it’s always such a cagey race, you never really know who’s going what, how anyone is going to swim it.

“So, it’s almost a more challenging race to tactically get right than it is on a world level, because you know these guys so well that you almost expect things from them – and then if you don’t see it, you overthink during the race.

“So I’m really pleased with that, to get another 47s under the belt, I can’t complain with that at all – that’s booked the 100m in Singapore, it’ll be really good.”

Richards' win was one of several headline-grabbing moments at the London Aquatics Centre, where the electric atmosphere matched the intensity of the competition.

Elsewhere, Oliver Morgan produced a stunning performance of his own, demolishing his own British men’s 100m backstroke record by more than half a second with a jaw-dropping 52.12 to claim victory and reassert his place among the world’s elite.

His blistering final 25 metres set him apart from the field and offered a preview of his potential at this summer’s world stage.

“We knew there’d be something quick in there, everything in training was pointing towards going that way,” said Morgan.

“I’ve had a pretty busy year with university and just trying to get that done, so we sat straight after the Games and spoke out the next four years which I guess I haven’t ever done before.

“One, that was a weird conversation to have, and two, we thought my swimming this year wouldn’t be that fast with putting uni first – so to be going 52.1 [is great], and the training I’ve been doing has just been backing that up.

“I’m loving it every day, getting better and better, each week in training has been doing something phenomenal so I’ve been loving it.”

That backstroke event also saw Jonathon Marshall miss the qualification time for the Worlds by just 0.01s as he took silver, with Matthew Ward completing the podium.

The night was equally rich with achievements in para-swimming, where Mark Tompsett delivered two European records in the S14 category, winning the multi-classification 100m Backstroke crown with a new mark of 58.28.

Other standouts included Angharad Evans smashing her PB in the women’s 200m breaststroke to qualify for Singapore, Tomas Navarro-Barber collecting his second national title in para competition, and Ellie Challis securing another spot at the Para Worlds in the women’s MC 50m backstroke.