Matthew Richardson: Aussie Olympics hero slams his critics after he was blasted for shock defection to Great Britain

Matthew Richardson: Aussie Olympics hero slams his critics after he was blasted for shock defection to Great Britain - and reveals why he doesn't want to wear the green and gold again

25-year-old won three medals at Paris Games
Was planning to ditch Australia the whole time
Has a very blunt message for those who slammed move

Matthew Richardson has broken his silence after he shocked Australia by defecting to Great Britain - and the Paris Olympics silver medallist had a harsh message for his critics.

The 25-year-old, English-born star has rejected claims he only defected for financial reasons - and snapped back at another Aussie cyclist who said the funding that helped him succeed would've been better spent on athletes who are loyal to their country.

Australia’s Olympic cycling defector Matthew Richardson could face two-year ban

Richardson was Australia’s most successful cyclist at the Paris Olympics, winning silver medals in the men’s keirin and sprint, and a bronze in the men’s team sprint. In interviews with British media, Richardson said potential Olympic selection ramifications were a reason for keeping his secret from Australia.

Korf, asked if there would have been possible ramifications, said: “That’s a really hard question to answer ... I don’t know. We would surely have considered the impact and ramifications and opportunity for other riders,” he said.

“In that same breath Matt was on an exceptional trajectory and performed exceptionally at the Games. So, yeah, all things would have been considered. I don’t know if there would have been ramifications. It may or may not have and they could have been both from our side or the AOC’s [Australian Olympic Committee] side.”
Matthew Richardson has hit back at critics who have questioned his loyalty, after he shocked the cycling world by announcing his defection to Great Britain within a fortnight of his triple medal-winning performance at the Paris Olympics.

Australian cycling was left reeling when Richardson took to social media to announce his move to Team Great Britain, hot off the heels of having won silver for Australia in both the men's keirin and sprint, plus a bronze in the men's team sprint in Paris.