Emerging talent fires up Chalmers

Watch out world.

Kyle Chalmers is feeling the best he has mentally and physically since 2016 – the year he won the Olympic title – and the results in the pool show it.

Chalmers won the 100m freestyle at the Australian swimming championships on the Gold Coast on Thursday night, stopping the clock in 48.00sec to conquer the challenge of teenagers Kai Taylor (48.41) and Gold Coast’s Flynn Southam (48.53).

After “a bit of a shock” in the morning heats, when he was half a second behind fastest qualifier Taylor, Chalmers shot from the blocks in the final and put on the afterburners on the way home to underline his position as Australia’s top sprinter.

With his troublesome shoulders in check after two torturous surgeries and their recovery, Chalmers has a new lease on life in and out of the pool.

“The body’s the best it’s been since probably 2020,” he said.

“I feel the happiest I have in and out of the pool, I’m loving training, loving life and having a lot of fun with it, so I’m very grateful for that.”

But the challenge of teen tyros Taylor, who won the 200m final in Chalmers’ absence after beating him in the heats, and Southam, the 17year-old rising star from the Gold Coast, has him excited for the future – while determined to underline his place as the alpha sprinter.

“I absolutely love it,” he said of the emergence of the next generation.

“I’m competitive but I love relays. So I know that I have to have these young kids coming through to create that team success next year (at the Olympics) and relays are realistically your best chance of getting a medal.

“So I’m loving having these young kids come through and as much wisdom and guidance I can give them, the better I think.”