Aussie champ’s cheeky reply to exiled defector’s ‘Hogwarts’ sledge
Australian cyclist Leigh Hoffman had a cheeky retort for a Harry Potter-themed sledge by exiled defector Matthew Richardson as he soaked up Commonwealth Games glory.
Hoffman, Ryan Elliott and Daniel Barber combined to take down England in the gold medal match of the men’s team sprint in Glasgow on Friday (AEST).
From left: Ryan Elliott, Daniel Barber and Leigh Hoffman celebrate winning gold in Glasgow. Getty Images
Richardson, the star cyclist who switched his allegiance from Australia to Great Britain days after winning two silver medals and a bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics, isn’t competing in Glasgow.
The 27-year-old withdrew on the eve of the Games because of an injury he suffered while racing in Japan.
Last October, ahead of the track cycling world championships, Richardson – not for the first time – lobbed a grenade at Australia.
“It’s incredible with all this magic going on,” he said, speaking of the resources on hand at British Cycling.
“A way I can probably describe it is the Australian program is like high school and the British program is like Hogwarts.”
As Hoffman and his teammates revelled in their gold medal victory in Glasgow – and a win over England that made it particularly sweet – Seven’s trackside reporter dug up Richardson’s quote in a TV interview.
Cue the barb.
“I think maybe he got his Hogwarts invitation left in the mail,” Hoffman grinned.
“I know that’s going to get clipped,” he added.
“It would have been great to line up against him. Crashes happen, horrible things happen.”
Cycling defector Matthew Richardson. Getty
Speaking ahead of the Games, Hoffman had said: “The Aussies want me to smash him, the Brits want him to smash me, and that’s the way it goes.
“Seeing him in GB colours probably does bring out a bit more fire in me.”
In November 2025, AusCycling released a statement denouncing Richardson and imposed a lifetime ban on him.
Richardson was born in Maidstone, Kent and moved to Australia when he was nine.
Australia won three gold medals on the first day of cycling competition in Glasgow, taking out the men’s team sprint, women’s 4000m team pursuit and women’s C4-5 4000m individual pursuit.
The winner of the latter was Tara Neyland, who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in 2023 and has since become a dominant para cyclist on the world stage.
