- Australian star Richardson will be eligible to ride for Team GB at 2028 Olympics
- The 25-year-old was born in Maidstone, Kent but moved Down Under aged nine
- Aus Cycling have slammed the extraordinary move as ‘insane’ and ‘unheard of’
Track cycling star Matthew Richardson will be eligible to ride for Team GB at the next Olympics after controversially defecting from Australia.
The 25-year-old won three medals for Australia at the Paris Games earlier this month, with silvers in the sprint and keirin and a bronze in the team sprint.
But in an extraordinary move that has stunned the cycling world, Richardson has decided to represent their rivals Britain at Los Angeles 2028 after being successful in his application for a change of nationality.
Richardson was born in Maidstone, Kent but moved Down Under aged nine and had represented Australia since junior level.
The process to switch nationalities has taken months to go through, meaning Richardson – who is currently in a relationship with Team GB cycling star Emma Finucane – knew about his defection ahead of representing Australia in Paris.
Australian cycling star Matthew Richardson has made the incredible move to defect to Britain
The 25-year-old (left) won three medals for Australia at the Paris Games earlier this month, with silvers in the sprint and keirin and a bronze in the team sprint
Richardson is currently in a relationship with Team GB cycling star Emma Finucane (pictured)
Aus Cycling boss Jess Korf admitted Richardson’s move was ‘disappointing and came as a surprise’.
But Richardson said: ‘I have made the decision to pack up my entire life and move halfway across the world to begin the next chapter in my cycling career.
‘It was a personal choice, made after careful consideration of my career and future.
‘I deeply respect Australia and the Aus Cycling team and it will always be a part of who I am.
‘But this decision is about following my passion and pushing myself to new heights.
‘This isn’t about leaving something behind, but about embracing a new chapter in my journey and chasing a dream, a dream that is to race for the county which I was born in.’
The ‘signing’ of Richardson is a huge boost to Britain’s track cycling medal prospects at LA28 after a relatively disappointing Olympics in Paris, where they won just one gold medal.
Richardson out-performed Team GB’s best men’s sprinter Jack Carlin, who won a bronze in the sprint and crashed in the keirin final.
While his presence will also greatly increase Britain’s hopes of winning the team sprint in LA after they claimed silver behind the Netherlands in Paris.
Richardson’s switch has stunned senior figures in cycling, with one telling Mail Sport it was ‘unheard of’ and ‘insane’
But Richardson’s switch has stunned senior figures in cycling, with one telling Mail Sport it was ‘unheard of’ and ‘insane’, while criticising Britain for cherry picking riders from rivals rather than developing their own talent.
Aus Cycling also tellingly took replies off their post announcing the news on X.
‘We’re pleased to welcome Matt to the team and will be supporting him in his transition onto the programme over the coming weeks and months,’ said Stephen Park, British Cycling performance director.
‘We are incredibly proud of our sprint programme, which has delivered some fantastic results at the recent Olympic Games and continues to go from strength to strength.
‘Matt will only be adding to this strength in depth and I am excited to see what his presence adds to the talent we already have as we start to turn our attention to the new four-year cycle towards LA 2028.’
Under the rules of cycling’s international governing body, the UCI, Richardson is not eligible to compete at the World Championships in Denmark in October or February’s European Championships, but is then available in the run-up to LA28.
