Kyle Chalmers wins 100m freestyle silver at Paris Olympics and declares he’s got more to come
Kyle Chalmers proved beyond any doubt that he is the greatest sprinter of his generation and the finest Australia has ever produced — and he followed up with news about his future.
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Sometimes, you don’t have to win the gold to be the best.
In collecting the silver medal in the 100m freestyle at the Paris Olympics, Kyle Chalmers proved beyond any doubt that he is the greatest sprinter of his generation and the finest Australia has ever produced.
The only guy who beat Chalmers was China’s Pan Zhanle, who demolished the world record, setting a time of 46.40 seconds.
King Kyle already has a gold medal from Rio in 2016 as well as silver from Tokyo three years ago. Now he has a second silver.
“I’m not retiring any time soon,” Chalmers said after the race.
“I love it. I think I’ll continue on as long as I possibly can. But this race does mean a lot to me. It is really special. I am probably just lost for words with it really.
“I think coming in, really, having three guys having a faster PB with me and being able to stay controlled and calm and know the pressure and expectation is so much on me, but I’m really, really stoked with that. Yeah, I don’t know what else to say. It is amazing. I’m very, very honoured.”
While he might have pocketed another gold with a slice of luck, a third medal in swimming’s blue-riband event is an astonishing feat that deserves to be celebrated regardless of the colours.
“In Rio, I think I was so young and naive and didn’t know what it was or what it meant to be an Olympian or an Olympic champion,” Chalmers said.
“To get to do it eight years later, it means so much more to me to be able to stand on the podium and receive a silver medal.
“We train so hard every single day, sacrificed so much for four years for that 47 second moment in the spotlight.
“To be recognised for for that effort is something I never take for granted.”
More than any other event in the pool, the men’s 100m freestyle is the race that gets the most eyeballs because it’s a test of speed, strength and courage.
That’s why it attracts the beefcakes of the pool that strut around the deck with their sculptured, muscle-packed frames, though it’s their mind as much as their bodies that decide the biggest races.
Chalmers now ranks among the all-time greats.
First contested in 1896, only two men have ever won three medals in the 100m freestyle at the Olympic Games.
The first was Duke Kahanamoku, the Hawaiian legend who popularised surfing. He won gold in 1912 and 1920 then silver in 1924, at Paris.
The other was the great Russian Alexander Popov, who won gold in 1992 and 1996 then silver at Sydney in 2000.
Now you can add Chalmers to that list.
Against one of the hottest fields ever assembled, Chalmers came within a whisker of something extraordinary.
Last off the blocks, last at the turn, he motored home to claim silver, more than a second behind Pan. Chalmers touched the wall in 47.48, 0.01 ahead of Romania’s David Popovici.
This was a mega race that will ignite a hot feud.
“For him to produce a 46.40 and break the world record in the Olympic final is incredible,” Chalmers said.
“I do everything I possibly can to to win the race, and guess everyone’s doing the same as I am and staying true to the sport and integrity of sport.
“I trust that’s he’s done everything he possibly can to be there. And he deserves that gold medal. And I did everything I possibly could to to challenge for that gold medal.”
Popovici, winner of the 200m gold, was also sure Pan was clean.,
“I think we can go even faster. There are people now alive and who are swimming who can do it. It’s just a matter of putting it together and doing it at the right moment. And I think it’s very possible, even faster,” he said
“This is only motivation for us. I mean, we can’t be mad, we can only congratulate him. This is what sports is.
“Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. That’s all I have to say.”
Just 26, Chalmers is still a young man, but a veteran in swimming circles so no-one knows for certain how much longer he’ll continue.
A teenage prodigy who won the Olympic gold medal at Rio in 2016 while he was still a schoolboy, he’s gone on and ticked everything on his list, winning individual world titles in long-course and short-course and a Commonwealth Games gold medal, plus a stack of relay medals.
The relays have always shown Chalmers at his best. When he was a kid growing up in South Australia he wanted to be a footballer and relays are the closest thing to a team event in swimming.
It’s not just the bucketload of medals that he’s won that makes the Big Tuna the fastest fish on the sea.
It’s the way he puts everything on the line when she swims for his country and his teammates.
Whenever he swims for Australia in relays, he always produces superhuman times, even though he’s had plenty of battles to overcome.
Standing 1.94m tall and packed with muscles that are covered in tattoos, Chalmers is an imposing figure but he feels the pressure like everyone else.
He’s suffered countless injuries over the years — needing surgeries to his shoulder and heart — and also been open about the mental health issues he’s faced that almost made him quit the sport.
All Australians who love their sport will be glad he didn’t.
Long live the king.
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