British two-time Olympic 4x200m free champion Matt Richards has joined the Gators, the University of Florida's Swimming program in spring 2027, head coach and 1988 Olympic 100m butterfly champion Anthony Nesty announced today.

On why he chose the University of Florida, Richards said:

"Watching Caeleb Dressel race for Florida is what first made me want to be a Gator, and I've followed this team ever since. I'm close with a lot of the guys on the squad, so getting to race alongside them at SECs and NCAAs and help chase a national title is something I never thought I'd get the chance to do. I can't wait to get out there and get started."

Race craft is something Richards will have no shortage of during college season.

Matt's wife Emily, a 200 'fly specialist and member of Britain's European-Championships squad this year in Paris, will accompany him on a new chapter of their swimming journey. Said Nesty:

"We have been talking to Matt for a long time—but we finally worked it out. He is a great athlete and an even better person. He will improve all aspects of our team immediately. We will welcome him and his wife Emily to Gainesville this spring. Go Gators!"

Richards ended his 2026 long-course season with podium finishes at the Commonwealth Games for Wales, including silver in the 100m freestyle in between Australians Flynn Southam and the teammate who's No 1 status he took, Kyle Chalmers, and the European Championships, including gold with teammates Jack McMillan, James Guy, and Duncan Scott in the men's 4x200m free, and gold again with McMillan, and the two Freya's, Colbert and Anderson, in the mixed 4x200 free.

Richards, coached, with Guy, by Ryan Livingstone at Britain's Manchester Performance Centre, was happy with some aspects of his summer but far from satisfied, his reasons and clarity expressed to State of Swimming in reviews along the way, including this reference:

"I'd sacrifice every medal I won between Tokyo and now to have got gold in Paris" - Matt Richards

World 200m freestyle champion in 2023, two years after his Olympic debut and relay gold at 18, Richards, was referring to his Olympic silver medal in the 200m free at Paris 2024 0.02sec behind the first Romanian man to claim Olympic gold in the pool, David Popovici. The drive for better is alive and kicking in Richards, the relay a part of that passion:

A Taste Of The Hunger Games On The Los Angeles Horizon

Part 3: "I'd sacrifice every medal I won between Tokyo and now to have got gold in Paris (2024 Olympics) rather than silver. And so now it's about trying to make sure that I don't have that same feeling again after LA [2028] - Matt Richards

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

A breakdown of the numbers in Richards' career so far, as noted by the Gators today:

Medal Breakdown

• 2024 Olympic Games, Paris (Paris, France) – Jul 2024
  • Gold – 4x200m freestyle relay
  • Silver – 200m freestyle
• 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo (Tokyo, Japan) – Jul 2021
  • Gold – 4x200m freestyle relay
• 2026 European Aquatics Championships (Paris, France) – Aug 2026
  • 1st – 4x200m freestyle relay
  • 1^st – 4x200m mixed freestyle relay
• 2026 Commonwealth Games (Glasgow, Scotland) – July 2026
  • 2nd – 100 freestyle
  • 2^nd – 200 freestyle
  • 2^nd – 4x200 freestyle relay
  • 2^nd – 4x100 mixed freestyle relay
• 2025 Swimming World Cup (Carmel, Ind., USA) – Oct 2025
  • 3^rd – 200 freestyle
• 2025 World Championships (Singapore) – Aug 2025
  • 1^st – 4x200m freestyle relay
• 2025 European Short Course Championships (25m) (Lublin, Poland) – Dec 2025
  • 3^rd – 100m freestyle
• 2024 World Championships (Doha, Qatar) – Feb 2024
  • 3^rd – 4x100 mixed medley relay
• 2023 European Short Course Championships (25m) (Otopeni, Romania) – Dec 2023
  • 1^st – 200 freestyle
  • 1^st – 4x50 freestyle relay
  • 2^nd – 4x50 medley relay
• 2023 World Championships (Fukuoka, Japan) – Jul 2023
  • 1^st – 200m freestyle
  • 1^st – 4x200m freestyle relay
  • 3^rd – 4x100m mixed freestyle relay
• 2022 European Aquatics Championships (Rome, Italy) – Aug 2022
  • 2^nd – 4x100 mixed freestyle relay
  • 3^rd – 4x100 men's freestyle relay
• 2022 Commonwealth Games (Birmingham, Great Britain) – Jul 2022
  • 1^st – 4x100 medley relay
  • 2^nd – 4x100 freestyle relay
  • 2^nd – 4x200 freestyle relay
  • 2^nd – 4x100 mixed freestyle relay
  • 3^rd – 4x200 freestyle relay
  • 3^rd – 4x100 medley relay
  • 3^rd – 4x100 mixed medley relay
• 2022 World Championships (Budapest, Hungary) – Jun 2022
  • 3^rd – 4x200 freestyle relay
• 2021 European Aquatics Championships (Budapest, Hungary) – May 2021
  • 1^st – 4x100 mixed freestyle relay
  • 2^nd – 4x100 men's freestyle relay
  • 2^nd – 4x200 men's freestyle relay
• 2019 European Junior Championships (Kazan, Russia) – Jul 2019
  • 1^st – 100 freestyle
  • 2^nd – 200 freestyle
  • 3^rd – 4x100 freestyle relay

Jess Corones Moves On - Swimming's Loss, Football's Gain

After a quarter of a century working in sports science and related roles in Great Britain and after that in her native Australia Jess Corones is off to be the Executive General Manager of Sydney Swans AFLW Football.

Swimming Australia today thanked her as she prepares to leave her role as General Manager Performance Support of Olympic Program.

In the early 2000s, Corones was recruited by Bill Sweetenham in Britain and played a big part in helping a nation seeking to rise out of the doldrums of a medal-less Sydney 2000 Olympics in the pool step up several levels. Corones' work in Britain included working with the Smart Track squad of girls talent spotted in an exercise that included Sweetenham, Don Talbot and Chelsea Warr, now Chief Executive Officer of Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS).

Including the likes of Fran Halsall, Jazz Carlin and Lizzie Simmonds, the Smart Track squad went on to claim an impressive haul of international medals.

Swimming Australia was lucky to get her back home. Today, the federation celebrated her and her work in the following words:

Corones, who has spent more than a decade with the Dolphins at the coalface of Australia’s most successful Olympic sport, will officially transition to her new role on November 23.

The experienced sport scientist has a deep understanding of performance for the coach and athlete and spent many years working alongside master coach Michael Bohl and Olympians Emma McKeon, Kaylee McKeown and Lani Pallister to name a few Dolphins.

A senior staff member of Swimming Australia for more than 14 years, Corones developed her skills from the grass roots of Australian sport through to the elite level.

Most recently, Corones provided technical, systems and people leadership across the high-performance unit and wider organisation.

Having grown up in Sydney, Corones has spent 23 years working with coaches, athletes and expert staff across Olympic sports, leading high-performance programs and building and aligning team culture. 

Corones helped implement and drive a number of technology projects that helped the Dolphins dominate the 2025 World Championships in Singapore and most recently the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Corones said:

“I am so grateful for the opportunities that Swimming Australia and all the team has afforded me and there are so many people to thank."From head coach Rohan Taylor, High Performance Director Greg Shaw and his predecessor Tamara Sheppard, Michael Bohl … there are so many people to thank including the amazing athletes I have worked with over the years.

“I’m excited about the role ahead and honoured to be joining the Sydney Swans, a club with such a rich history.

“Kate Mahony and the team have done an outstanding job establishing the program and building it into a true high-performance environment, and I’m looking forward to continuing that work.

“I can’t wait to get started. I’m excited to get to know the players, coaches and staff. The AFLW is one of the most exciting competitions in Australian sport, and the opportunity to help shape its next chapter at a club like the Swans is a real privilege.

“I’m incredibly grateful to Swimming Australia and the Dolphins for an amazing journey, and I’m excited to bring that experience to the club.” 

Executive General manager of High Performance Greg Shaw thanked Corones for her years of service and said:

“For Jess, she values the relationships and seeing others develop more than some of her use of data and analytics she is known for. She believes this is what unlocks potential and we look forward to seeing what she can achieve in her new role.”

“She’s worked in the Australian sporting system in a number of different high-performance roles from biomechanics and performance analyst to leading our performance support system … and we are so very grateful for what she has brought to our program for many, many years.

“We know what a great asset she will be for the Sydney Swans and wish her all the best.”

Open water: Can You Teach Your Brain To Swim Straight? Seems so:

The Brain Hack That Will Finally Help You Swim Straight in Open Water

It’s not you that’s going off-course - it’s your brain. A neuroscientist explains how a phenomenon called “proprioceptive drift” can add 10% or more to your swim distance, plus four brain-training drills to help you reset your internal compass and swim straight.

TriathleteDr. Daya Grant

In other October Coverage:

VOICE: In a new series, SOS shares, with permission, the wisdom from the book of experience and expertise, as imparted by athletes, coaches and others who've been there and done it.

Pepper's Points Pack A Punch On The Best Of Busch & Coaching

"Frank showed me that the greatest thing we were building all those years was never a swimming career." - Seth Pepper

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

• If you have suggestions or links to examples of swimming voices being used to enrich the sport of swimming, please send a note to: craig.lord@stateofswimming.com

RETURN OF THE INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE

Coaches Boxall, Higson, MacDonald & Meiring Lead Commonwealth Team At ISL All-Stars Comeback

The International Swimming League is back, for its comeback All-Star Match in London on December 19, today marking the arrival of the first four coaches for the "Commonwealth Team" ahead of battle with USA, Europe and Team Intercontinental for 'the largest prize pool for a single night of racing'

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

SWIM FOR GOOD CAUSES

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FORUM:

Does Your World Cup Swimmeth Over Or Is Nothing Left In The Tank?

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Time To Banish The Art Of Blazers Marking Their Own Homework

It's early days for swimming Integrity Units - there's a long way to go before the system is working as it should, it seems to many in aquatics. AQIU now has before it a submission from the Slovak swim community that makes the eyes water. What happens next will test the entire integrity ecosystem

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

NEWS:

Swim Across America-Funded Cancer Research Leads to Immunotherapy Approval

Groundbreaking research at the Swim Across America Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center helps advance a treatment that could allow patients to avoid chemotherapy, radiation and surgery while preserving their quality of life, Jeni Howard, of Swim Across America, takes up the story

State Of Swimming +SOS Guest

News - State Of Swimming +

Latest Posts. Page photo: Cate Campbell, by Patrick B. Kraemer

State Of Swimming +SOS Guest

2026 WORLD CUP

World Cup 2026 - State Of Swimming +

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

MORE WORLD RECORDS

Walsh Washes Away Another World Mark: 22.75 S/C 50 Free

When a domestic time-trial of an event in Virginia highlights the nature of a World Cup ripe for a face lift

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World Cup 2027

Berlin, Paris, London To Host 2027 World Cup With LA2028 Selection Twist In New Olympic Sprints

Europe to host the long-course edition of the World Cup in October 2027, with incentive for sprinters to show up and make the depth of competition at the series better than its been in many years

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord