Kyle Chalmers: Why I almost quit swimming

The mental scarring from a media storm over his love life was so severe that champion swimmer Kyle Chalmers spent the day before one of the biggest races of his life crying in his room. Listen to the podcast.

Swimming champion Kyle Chalmers was so mentally scarred from a media storm surrounding his relationship with national teammates Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson earlier this year he penned a detailed letter announcing his retirement from the sport.

And as the ‘love triangle’ headlines continued nearly three months later, he spent the day before winning the Commonwealth Games 100m freestyle final gold medal “crying in my room, not talking to anyone”.

In a tell-all interview with the The Soda Room podcaster Mark Soderstrom, Chalmers speaks candidly for the first time about the mental fallout of the love triangle allegations.

Chalmers, 24, says he was on a plane from Adelaide to Port Lincoln when he drafted a three-page retirement announcement in his diary in May this year.

He had flown to his hometown to escape national titles in Adelaide, where scrutiny surrounding the relationship between himself, his former flame McKeon and her new partner Simpson had reached boiling point.

KYLE CHALMERS SPEAKS ON THE SODA ROOM PODCAST

The Soda Room with Mark Soderstrom is presented in collaboration with the Sunday Mail – listen to the podcast in full below.

“It was very, very stressful,” Chalmers says. “I was going to say, now I’m done – I’m going to stay in Port Lincoln now and play country footy.”

He decided against delivering the letter, and instead vowed to compete at upcoming world titles and Commonwealth Games in an effort to “jam it up” those suggesting there was an issue between the trio.

Rumours of a feud started when he finished second and Simpson third in the 100m butterfly final on the first night of the national titles at Marion’s SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre. Only the first two placegetters qualify to compete at world titles, to be at Budapest the following month.

Chalmers has revealed how he spent the day before winning the Commonwealth Games 100m freestyle gold “crying in my room, not talking to anyone”. Picture: Michael Klein

Chalmers only had six weeks of training under his belt before the nationals, after recovering from shoulder surgery, and had indicated beforehand he was unsure if he would be fit enough to compete in Budapest. The result of the 100m butterfly national final meant Simpson would be on the team if Chalmers opted out.

But after exceeding expectations in his first event back, Chalmers decided to compete in Budapest – meaning the high-profile Simpson, a former singing star, missed out.

Chalmers says any suggestion that he wanted to keep Simpson off the team is “absolute crap”, and points to pre-race media appearances during which he expressed his excitement about having Simpson compete on the national stage.

The love-triangle furore which reached its zenith at the Birmingham games in late July, early August.

On the second night of Games competition, after persistent questioning about a rift between the trio, Chalmers posted on Instagram his mental health was at “rock bottom”.

He tells Soderstrom he had asked Swimming Australia officials to “put him on the next flight home” after he had anchored Australia’s 4x100m freestyle relay to gold, only to be “ripped to shreds” by the poolside media about McKeon and Simpson.

“We just broke the Commonwealth record and we won gold … and they’ve just teed off,” he says. “Not one question about swimming … It was all complete nonsense, this so-called feud. There was no feud whatsoever.

On the so-called ‘love triangle’, Chalmers says “there was no feud whatsoever”. Picture: Michael Klein

Cody Simpson and Emma McKeon. Picture: Delly Carr

“I go back to my room, very, very emotional – just mentally down. I honestly spoke to the head team manager of Swimming Australia and said: ‘Put me on the next flight home – I don’t want to be here, I don’t swim for this, it’s just crap’.”

He says the victorious men’s and women’s relay teams were left “emotional” at the focus on he, McKeon and Simpson and pointed to a congratulatory conversation he shared with McKeon after they were part of a victorious mixed relay team as proof there was no tension between the trio.

Chalmers says a FaceTime conversation with brother Jackson, who was in training for the army in NSW, helped give him the strength to return to the pool and race the next day.

He says he was emotionally “fried” by the time of the final of his pet event, the 100m freestyle, spent the day before the big race alone in his room crying and was too distraught to speak with coach Peter Bishop immediately before the swim.

He raised his finger to his lips as if to silence the doubters after winning the blue riband event and reveals to Soderstrom he received messages of support from high-profile athletes such as soccer star Sam Kerr and former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke.

Chalmers silences his critics after winning the blue riband men's 100m freestyle in Birmingham. Picture: Glyn Kirk / AFP

Chalmers hanging with Gary the mertens’ water monitor … he has transformed a double garage into a reptile room. Picture: Instagram

Also on the podcast, Chalmers reveals:

HE had a two-hour Zoom hook-up with Geelong Football Club recruiter Troy Selwood in 2020 about the prospect of becoming a category B rookie with the Cats but decided against it after talking with friend and former Adelaide Crows ruckman Sam Jacobs.

HE plans to swim both butterfly and freestyle at the Paris Olympic Games, and says by the time the 2024 event comes around “I’ll be bulletproof and good to go”.

HE knew was going to win gold in the 100m freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics as soon as he hit the water in the heats.

HE is likely to retire from swimming after Paris, and hopes to then play country football with Elliston Districts on the Eyre Peninsula.

HE rates his silver medal in the 100m freestyle in the Tokyo Olympics, just six months after shoulder surgery, as his proudest achievement in the pool.

THE meanings behind his many tattoos.

HE transformed a double garage in his home into a reptile room which has housed as many as 500 “critters”, is “hooked” on the science of genetically breeding these reptiles and has a pet crocodile called Cock the Croc.