Richard Murray Switches Allegiances
In a shock move, Richard Murray, who has competed at two Olympic Games for South Africa (London 2012 and Rio 2016), has decided to switch allegiance to now represent the Netherlands going forward, with his next big target being Paris 2024.
Murray broke the news to his fans via his social media accounts stating “IT’S OFFICIAL! From 2022 onwards I will compete for @triathlonnl / The Netherlands 🇳🇱”
This move may be controversial in some peoples eyes, but having married Dutch Olympic triathlete Rachel Klamer and being based in the Netherlands, Murray will be keen to restart his triathlon journey in his new family surroundings.
Richard Murray has become an icon of short course triathlon thanks to producing more than a decade of gutsy displays on the world stage, including a fourth place finish at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and taking the win at the first ever Super League Triathlon event on Hamilton Island.
After having recuperated from a heart condition, Murray targeted another Olympics in Tokyo but this was a step too far and he was forced to pull out of the individual event.
World Triathlon is expected to formally confirm his switch in March, which means that he will be entitled to start on behalf of the Netherlands from then on.
The quick switch to the Dutch squad was made possible thanks to the cooperation of Triathlon South Africa, which authorised a shortened transfer window. This also ensures that Richard Murray may already be in the ranking on behalf of the Netherlands in the upcoming qualifying period for the Paris Games.
