Mark Foster believes new 200m freestyle world champion Matt Richards is “fearless” and will thrive below the stress of getting a “goal on his again”.
Richards ensured his standing as a marked man after clinching glory on the World Aquatics Championships in Japan by edging out Olympic champion Tom Dean.
The 20-year-old produced an impressive end on Tuesday to pip fellow Briton Dean to gold in a time of 1 minute and 44.30 seconds, whereas earlier title holder David Popovici – the race favorite – needed to accept fourth.
Former world, European and Commonwealth champion Foster is worked up by the depth of British swimming expertise and Richards’ potential for additional growth.
“He’s received loads of velocity,” the 53-year-old informed the PA information company. “I believe we’re going to see much more out of him on the 100m (freestyle).
“Tom’s a quick swimmer however Matt’s quicker and received slightly bit easier velocity to exit (from the beginning).
“He’s a bit fearless. He’s enhancing so much, he’s enhancing very quick, which is de facto thrilling. How rather more can he enhance?
“However the attention-grabbing factor goes from being ‘Dave’ who’s a relay swimmer to all of a sudden beating the Olympic champion and turning into world champion himself – now he’s received a little bit of goal on his again.
“That’s going to be the attention-grabbing factor to see how he copes with that. It would even push him to go quicker.
“I’m actually excited to see what he can do, not simply on the 100 freestyle however the 200 freestyle and in addition these relay occasions, that are simply key for us.”
Richards’ beautiful efficiency in Fukuoka got here a 12 months and a day earlier than the beginning of Paris 2024.
Alongside Dean, he was a part of the triumphant males’s 4×200m freestyle relay on the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the place Britain loved their most profitable Video games within the pool by profitable eight medals, together with 4 golds.
Foster has tipped Workforce GB’s swimmers to surpass that record-breaking whole subsequent 12 months within the French capital.
“From what I’ve seen in the intervening time, we’ll do higher,” he stated.
“There’s no ensures in sport but when I have been to record medals that I believe we are going to get, I’d give us greater than main in to Tokyo.
Traditionally – I am going again to once I swam – we had a handful of swimmers that would do one thing. Now we have got three handfuls.
Mark Foster
“Eight is an efficient determine to start out from however how a lot we get above that, I don’t know. I believe it is going to be crushed. If we get there or thereabouts that’s a fantastic end result however I believe we’ll go a pair extra.
“For me, it’s actually thrilling that it’s not only one or two occasions that we’re good at.
“Even when we come fifth or sixth in an occasion, we’ve received somebody in there, whereas traditionally – I’m going again to once I swam – we had a handful of swimmers that would do one thing. Now we’ve received three handfuls.”
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