A successful Spanish odyssey convinced Lewis Richardson that his second shot at pursuing his Olympic dream was worth throwing the kitchen sink at.

Having lost out to eventual silver medallist Oleksandr Khyzhniak in a Tokyo 2020 qualifier, Richardson’s Paris preparations were hampered by his middleweight category being removed from the Olympic programme and a wrist injury which led to spending most of 2023 out of the ring.

“It was only in that November that I decided to drop a weight division and go for light middleweight,” Richardson said.

“It has been a whirlwind since.”

He estimates he has boxed 18 times in the last eight months and a key turning point came at the start of that period at the Boxam tournament in Alicante, when Richardson won gold and picked up the award for best technical male boxer.

“It was like a switch had flicked,” he said. “I lay in bed that night thinking ‘I’m going for this, I’ll make 71kg’ (he previously fought at 75kg).

“A few weeks after that, I self-funded a tournament in Portugal with permission from GB Boxing, who were done for the year.

“I had to find my own coaches to do my corner and demonstrate I could make the weight. I did well and they gave me an opportunity in January to box in the GB Open in Sheffield against higher calibre opponents.

“I had three really solid performances and was selected for the qualifier.”

Richardson, 27, secured his spot in Thailand at the end of May and is still riding the crest of a wave. A surprise party organised by his girlfriend was waiting for him on arrival home but he knows the hard work is only just beginning.

“Sooner or later, I need to get back to knuckling down, but I’m super professional and I’ll get myself in the best possible shape I can be in for the Olympics,” he said.

“But at the same time, I want to enjoy this moment, I’ve worked extremely hard for it.

“There have been a lot of trials and tribulations along the way so I want to make sure I enjoy it before getting my head down and locking myself away for the next five or six weeks to put myself in with a shout of a medal.

“I am travelling fully with the intention of winning gold, which I believe I am capable of. But regardless of what happens, I will forever be an Olympian and no-one can take that away.”

The visible joy of Tokyo bronze medallist Frazer Clarke following Richardson’s qualification was caught on camera, just a small part of the ‘outpouring of emotion’ from his friends and family.

In Paris, the Essex ace will benefit from Aldi’s Nearest & Dearest programme, which helps maximise support and minimise potential distractions for athletes so that they can focus on their performance and make the most of the unique opportunity to compete on one of the world’s largest stages.

And there is one family member Richardson is particularly grateful to have in his corner.

“My brother Deacon has been with me every step of the way,” he said. “He’s four years older than me and has always been a positive role model who has kept me on the straight and narrow when it’s easy to be led astray.

“He was a good big brother who used to let me win at certain things but when I got to early teenage years, he didn’t need to let me win, I would win naturally – as much as he may beg to differ!

“We were very competitive and having him there helped me become better quicker.”

Aldi are proud Official Partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024