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Track cyclist Matt Richardson is switching his international allegiance to ride for Great Britain after winning three medals for Australia at the Paris Olympics. Richardson's unexpected change of eligibility to the country of his birth, which comes eight days after the end of the Games, was approved by the International Cycling Union, the Australian cycling federation said Monday. "The announcement of Matt's switch is disappointing and came as a surprise," the federation's performance manager, Jesse Korf, said in a statement. The 25-year-old won his third medal in the Olympic velodrome -- a silver in men's keirin -- on Aug. 11 just hours before the closing ceremony. He also won a silver in sprint and a bronze in team sprint, and is a five-time world championship medalist for Australia. He moved there at the age of nine, the Australia cycling body said. "We also understand that the desire to compete for a country one was born in can bring forth strong emotions," Korf said. Richardson, who was born in England, said the switch to ride for Britain was "not something I decided on quickly or easily." "I deeply respect Australia and the Australian cycling team, and it will always be a part of who I am," he said in the statement published by his now former federation. "We're pleased to welcome Matt to the team and will be supporting him in his transition onto the programme over the coming weeks and months," Great Britain Cycling Team Programme performance director, Stephen Park, said in a statement. "We are incredibly proud of our sprint programme, which has delivered some fantastic results at the recent Olympic Games and continues to go from strength to strength. Matt will only be adding to this strength in depth and I am excited to see what his presence adds to the talent we already have as we start to turn our attention to the new four-year cycle towards LA 2028."
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