[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-matt-richards-commonwealth-gold-medal-set-glasgow":82,"category-counts-nav":97,"related-matt-richards-commonwealth-gold-medal-set-glasgow":107},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":85,"badge":86,"author":87,"excerpt":88,"date":89,"readTime":90,"image":91,"imageAlt":83,"tags":92,"body":95,"_path":96},"Matt Richards targeting Commonwealth gold to complete major medal collection","matt-richards-commonwealth-gold-medal-set-glasgow","long-reads","Long Reads: Feature","Marcus Wright","Double Olympic champion Matt Richards eyes Commonwealth gold in Glasgow to round out his haul of major titles.","2026-07-24 00:27:33","2 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fmatt-richards-commonwealth-gold-medal-set-glasgow.webp",[93,94],"Commonwealth Games","Swimming","## Matt Richards owns Olympic, World and European gold. Commonwealth gold is the gap.\n\nRichards has two Olympic golds from Paris 2024 relay squads, multiple World Championship medals, and European titles. He is 21 years old. He does not have a Commonwealth Games gold.\n\nGlasgow is where he intends to fix that. The Commonwealth Games represent the one major meet where Richards has not stood on the top step, and he has been open about wanting to complete the set across Olympics, Worlds, Europeans, and Commonwealths. British Swimming needs a headline act in Glasgow. Richards is it.\n\n## From relay anchor to individual contender\n\nRichards broke through on the senior stage as a relay swimmer, his speed on anchor legs and mid-race splits delivering Olympic gold for Great Britain. His individual results at World and European Championships have since closed the gap between relay contributor and solo contender.\n\nThe Commonwealth Games field is narrower than a World Championships, but the competition is not easier. Australia's freestyle depth makes any individual event a fight. Canadian distance swimmers have surged in recent seasons. Richards cannot rely on a relay safety net in Glasgow. He will need to beat some of the fastest swimmers in the Commonwealth on his own.\n\nFor British Swimming, the Commonwealths have historically served as a barometer relative to Australia and Canada. Richards leading the charge gives them that benchmark.\n\n## Glasgow as the home-stage test for a swimmer who has won everywhere else\n\nMost elite swimmers would be satisfied with two Olympic golds before turning 22. Richards has said he is not interested in settling. Completing the set across all four major meets is a rare target in the sport: only a handful of British swimmers have managed it.\n\nGlasgow offers a home crowd. British fans filling the stands for a swimmer who has already delivered on the sport's biggest stage. Richards has handled expectation well at past major meets, but performing as the sole target in the water is a different ask from anchoring a relay squad.\n\nWinning Commonwealth gold in front of a home crowd would mark him as Britain's most complete male swimmer heading into the next Olympic cycle. Australia's freestyle programme has the depth to make that difficult. Richards will need to be at his sharpest.","\u002Farticles\u002Fmatt-richards-commonwealth-gold-medal-set-glasgow",[98,99,100,101,102,103,104,105,85,106],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","football","general","golf","mma","tennis",[108,121,132],{"id":109,"stem":109,"path":110,"title":111,"category":85,"badge":112,"badgeType":113,"author":87,"authorRole":114,"authorInitials":115,"date":116,"readTime":117,"image":118,"imageAlt":111,"tags":119,"excerpt":120},"sciver-brunt-england-dominate-south-africa-t20-world-cup-semi-final","\u002Farticles\u002Fsciver-brunt-england-dominate-south-africa-t20-world-cup-semi-final","Sciver-Brunt Fires England Into T20 World Cup Final With 40-Run Demolition of South Africa","Feature","category","SportPulse Contributor","MW","2026-07-02 22:02:51","6 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F1195\u002Flive\u002Fe12867f0-7657-11f1-a627-714adb4eed6e.jpg","T20 World Cup, Women's Cricket, ICC, England Cricket, South Africa Cricket","England powered past South Africa by 40 runs at The Oval to book a blockbuster T20 World Cup final showdown with Australia.",{"id":122,"stem":122,"path":123,"title":124,"category":85,"badge":112,"badgeType":113,"author":125,"authorRole":114,"authorInitials":126,"date":127,"readTime":128,"image":129,"imageAlt":124,"tags":130,"excerpt":131},"icc-clears-england-cricket-board-over-stokes-retirement-video-saga","\u002Farticles\u002Ficc-clears-england-cricket-board-over-stokes-retirement-video-saga","ICC Clears ECB Over Stokes Retirement Video Saga","Elena Rossi","ER","2026-07-10 18:34:59","7 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Ficc-clears-england-cricket-board-over-stokes-retirement-video-saga.webp","Cricket","The ICC opts against sanctioning the ECB over Ben Stokes' retirement video, closing a bizarre administrative chapter.",{"id":133,"stem":133,"path":134,"title":135,"category":85,"badge":112,"badgeType":113,"author":87,"authorRole":114,"authorInitials":115,"date":136,"readTime":117,"image":137,"imageAlt":135,"tags":138,"excerpt":139},"williams-debut-double-ends-wales-nine-match-losing-streak-barbarians","\u002Farticles\u002Fwilliams-debut-double-ends-wales-nine-match-losing-streak-barbarians","Williams' Debut Double Shatters Wales' Nine-Match Losing Nightmare","2026-06-27 18:54:40","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F734a\u002Flive\u002Fac9031f0-724f-11f1-b46f-17a6b71f4bc4.jpg","Rugby Union, Barbarians, Women's Rugby, Wales Rugby","Amy Williams scored twice on her first cap as Wales finally ended a bruising nine-game losing run against the Barbarians."]