Olympic swimmer Kyle Chalmers prepares in Adelaide for nervous trip to Tokyo Games

Adelaide swimmer Kyle Chalmers is on the final stretch before the Tokyo Games – fearing the risks of catching Covid-19 but still determined to win his second Olympic gold.

Adelaide swimming champion Kyle Chalmers has opened up about his Covid-19 fears ahead of this year’s Olympic Games, admitting the thought of competing in Tokyo is a “little bit scary”.

The 100m freestyle gold medallist said he believed it’s likely the virus will affect the global sports event, which is scheduled to start in Japan on July 23.

“Obviously it is a little bit scary. I think it’s at a point where money talks really rather than probably health but I know they’ll put everything in place to make sure we’re hopefully safe,” said Chalmers, one of Australia’s top medal hopes in the pool.

“My biggest fear is getting through the heats and semi-finals and then testing positive for Covid and you’re out of the final and sitting in your bedroom for 14 days.

“I keep track of Tokyo (Covid case) numbers and they’re starting to come down which is good but I think it’s probably inevitable that Covid will be in and around the (athletes’) village and affect the Games in some capacity.”

Tokyo’s Olympic Games chief Seiko Hashimoto confirmed this week the Games will go ahead as planned, telling a local newspaper: “We cannot postpone again”.

A week out from the Australian Olympic Swimming Trials in Adelaide, Chalmers, 22, reaffirmed his commitment to taking part in the Games – if he qualifies.

“I’m keen to get there and get going,” he said.

“I think it’s all about us having to be smart and keep on top of everything to avoid it (Covid) to the best of our ability but I think it’s going to be a whole lot more real than it is here in Adelaide. The rest of the world is battling it pretty tough still.”

Kyle Chalmers at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre. Picture: Sarah Reed

Going for a second consecutive Olympic gold in his pet event, the 100m freestyle, the Port Lincoln-born swimmer said he was “embracing” favouritism and competing at the trials in his hometown.

“It does add some pressure, I hadn’t actually thought about it until recently when my friends and family started booking tickets to come and watch me,” he said of the June 12-17 trials at the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre.

“But I think it’s great, I get to train in that pool every single day of the year and once I’m done racing I get to escape back to my own house and my own bed so there’s no better place for me to race than Adelaide.

“The body is feeling good and this is my favourite time of the year when I get to swim fast day in and day out and hopefully I can put something special together at trials.”

Chalmers is one of the stars of an upcoming fly-on-the-wall documentary series, Head Above Water, by Amazon Prime Video, which reveals the extraordinary sacrifices it takes to become an Olympic champion.

Chalmers on a previous trip to Tokyo in 2018, for the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. Picture: AAP / Matt Roberts

He features alongside swimming legend Ian Thorpe, Olympic champion Bronte Campbell and musician-turned-athlete Cody Simpson.

Chalmers said he hoped the series would lift the lid on the extreme pressures elite swimmers face every day, training 40 to 50 hours a week for 50 weeks a year.

“As an elite athlete we’re humans like every else in the world. We get put on this podium and people don’t think we have the problems that everyone else faces,” he said.

“Thorpie talks about it well in the documentary and he’s been a real advocate for mental health. I’ve been lucky to have him as a mentor along the way. For me the saying that’s resonated best with me is the ‘highs are high but the lows are low’.

“It’s a significant amount of work we put in and a lot of dedication and there’s minimal life away from the pool.”

“I wouldn’t say I love swimming, I love pushing myself to the limit and achieving things that even my coach probably doesn’t see possible. I think that’s what drives me and motivates me.

“I’m at point in my career now where I see it more so as job than a thing you do after school with friends.”