Matt Richardson claims first Western Australian gold at Birmingham Commonwealth Games

WAIS cycling graduate Matt Richardson has claimed the first gold medal by a Western Australian at the 2022 Commonwealth Games after helping Australia to gold in the men’s team sprint.

Richardson and teammates Matthew Glaetzer and Leigh Hoffman set a Commonwealth Games Record as they stormed to victory, leaving the rest of the field in their wake.

Hoffman got the trio off to a flying start over the first lap, before Richardson took over and then handed off to Glaetzer who stopped the clock in 42.040 seconds. Lowering their own Commonwealth Games Record set in qualifying.

The trio sent a clear statement of intent in the morning session with their time of 42.222, shaving six tenths of a second off the previous Games Record.

Richardson wasn’t the only Western Australian to taste success on the track with fellow WAIS graduate part of the bronze medal winning team in team pursuit for the first Western Australian medal of the Games.