Matt Richards has admitted to mixed emotions following his near miss in the men’s 200m freestyle, and will look to use it as fuel for his Paris 2024 Olympic Games ambitions.
There was disappointment and elation coursing through Richards, who will look to regroup ahead of the men’s 100m freestyle and 4x200m relay.
Richards goes in Heat 10 in the 100m freestyle on Tuesday morning at La Defense Arena.
“I’m over the moon with that; devastated at the same time,” Richards said. “My week’s not done, I’ve got the 4x200m tomorrow and 100m freestyle as well.
“If anything this silver is fantastic but it’s made me hungrier than ever.”
Reflecting on what he would have done differently in his first Olympic final, Richards said: “The finish. When I was coming down that last 25m I thought I was going to get it, I could just see a wave of people, I knew it was going to be really close. I thought I’d done enough.
“I saw the No. 2 by my name, it’s great but also really annoying. But it’s just fuel to the fire so we’ll see what I can do tomorrow.”
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Although disappointed with defeat, Richards admitted it is something athletes at the elite level of sport have to deal with.
“I can’t complain,” the 21-year-old said. “I’m walking away from my first ever individual Olympic Games with a silver medal, 200ths away from gold.
“This time last year I was at the World Championships, and I won by 2 100ths. David [Popovici] and I have raced many times in that event, he’s beaten me, I’ve touched him out, he’s touched me out.
“It’s part and parcel of the sport. Fundamentally I loved every minute of that, this is what I do it for.
“The crowd’s been fantastic. I’ve got my family, my fiancee, my mum and dad all up in the stands. It doesn’t get much better.”