Swimming couple Matthew and Emily Richards aim for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

SINGAPORE – As teammates on Britain’s swimming team, married couple Matthew Richards and Emily Large spend most of their waking hours training, competing and living together.

The pair have travelled the world in pursuit of medals and personal bests, but one goal remains unchecked on their to-do list: competing at the Olympics together.

While Richards has been to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paris 2024 – winning two gold medals and a silver in the process – Large has yet to reach sport’s grandest stage.

Describing it as an ultimate dream, Richards, 22, told The Straits Times on July 30: “There’s no reason why we couldn’t. We’ve been on multiple world championships and European championships teams together. To go to pretty much every event around the world together is a pretty cool thing to be able to do.

“Olympics is just that last one that we want to tick off together.”

Large, 24, added: “I’m still trying to make my first (Olympics) but Los Angeles 2028 is on the cards, and that’s what we’re both setting our dreams for.”

Large, who hails from Newcastle and Richards, who is from Worcestershire, are part of a 26-strong British swimming team who are in Singapore for the ongoing World Aquatics Championships.

The pair met at 19 and 17 respectively, when the country’s top swimmers trained at Aquatics GB’s Performance Centres at the University of Bath and Loughborough University, just as Britain exited the Covid-19 lockdown.

Love blossomed almost immediately and within a few months, they started living together.

Last August, they tied the knot in front of family, friends and fellow athletes at an estate in rural Herefordshire.

For Richards, the wedding was a perfect finale to a memorable summer. Days earlier, he had won his second Olympic gold as part of the 4×200m freestyle relay team in Paris and his first individual Olympic medal, a silver in the 200m free.

The freestyle specialist, who was just 18 when he claimed his first relay gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 before winning the 200m free world title in 2023, said having a partner who is also a competitive swimmer means that they both understand the trials and tribulations of elite sport.

He said: “We’ve been on this journey together from the get-go. Supporting each other has always been a really important thing. Because obviously we’ve been training together and racing together now for five years, so we know where each other are mentally, and how to help each other.

“But when we’re away from the pool, we do a good job of just switching off and being able to step back and not think too much about the sport itself.”

Outside the pool, they like to hunt for the best coffee places and restaurants.

While some might not enjoy spending all their time with their spouse, Large believes it has strengthened their relationship.

She added: “We literally spend 24/7 around each other. The setbacks and even the successes, we both go through them together and we know how to support each other through them. We do talk about swimming, but we also talk about other things, and it’s just so nice to be able to go through life together and be able to travel the world, see new cultures and people.”

However, they draw the line at giving each other swimming tips, with butterfly specialist Large noting, “we leave that to the coaches”.

Richards has had a mixed start in Singapore, but is still in the hunt for medals.

On July 27, he was part of 4x100m freestyle quartet who placed fourth in a new British record time of 3min 10.73sec. But a day later, he failed to qualify for 200m free final after placing 12th in the semi-finals.

On July 30, he qualified sixth for the 100m free final in 47.59sec, while Large made the 200m fly final with the fifth-fastest time of 2:07.71.

Regardless of the outcome of their July 31 finals, Singapore has already found a place in Large’s heart.

A return visit is on the cards. She said: “I love the city. I had never been to Singapore before. It’s a lovely city with great people and very clean.”