BATTLE OF THE BIG BOYS
TATTS AT 10 PACES
KYLE Chalmers himself describes the 100m freestyle as the domain of the sport’s alpha males.
It’s a confidence game and Monday’s relay warm-up was all about making a statement.
Chalmers’s electrifying anchor leg of the 4x100m final snatched a rousing come-from-behind bronze medal for Australia and hurled down the gauntlet to American juggernaut Caeleb Dressel ahead of their heavyweight showdown for the individual sprint crown at the Tokyo Olympics.
Australia looked dead in the water, flailing away in sixth place, before Chalmers went like the clappers in the fastest split of anyone in the highvoltage race, posting the fifth-fastest split in history and lifting his ecstatic and ever-so-grateful teammates on to the podium. Big picture, Chalmers proved it was game on versus Dressel for the blue-ribbon sprint title.
“It’s really special,” Chalmers said after riding the high of Ariarne Titmus’s monumental 400m freestyle triumph to give Australia a relay medal no one saw coming.
“I felt good. Just one race at a time. It’s good to get two (including the heat) done now. To get another Olympic medal with your mates is nice. There’s nothing better.”
Chalmers’s split of 46.44sec monstered Dressel’s 47.26, even if their times couldn’t be directly compared because Dressel swam the lead-off leg, which is always slower. It was more the matter of how they swam.
Chalmers ploughed along like a human tug boat but Dressel was thrashing around by comparison in what looked a bit of a panic. Chalmers looked comfortable, but Dressel looked rushed, as if he was trying too hard to post a time that would make a statement. The 100m freestyle heats commence on Tuesday night. The final is slated for Thursday morning. American Zach Apple looms as another threat after posting 46.69sec against Chalmers in the last mad dash to the wall on Monday.
Apple looked more authoritative than Dressel, but the latter remains the man to beat after winning the 2017 and 2019 world titles since Chalmers’s Olympic victory at Rio in 2016. Chalmers proved if he goes down to Dressel or anyone else in Tokyo, it’ll be swinging.
Ian Thorpe said in commentary: “This medal was not expected for us. This was for a bronze medal but, gee, Kyle Chalmers loves the Olympics and loves to race.”
Chalmers said he was revved up by Titmus’s epic triumph.
“We were in the warm-up pool going through the motions a bit,” Chalmers said. “Then we stood up and watched Arnie win that gold medal. It boosts your energy levels and I know it really helped me race well today.
“Seeing an Australian beating one of the greatest swimmers of all time – it’s really inspiring to watch.”