Commonwealth games swimming: Kyle Chalmers ‘snubbing’ Emma McKeon is a sign of respect

Amid whispers the Australian swim team is divided by the McKeon-Simpson-Chalmers love triangle, one member has spoken out about the impact it’s had and the truth behind the ‘snub’.

Aussies on the podium after the relay

Members of the Australian swim team have weighed in on the apparent team divide caused by the Emma McKeon, Cody Simpson and Kyle Chalmers love triangle saying there is no tension and insisting the snubs are a sign of respect.

Chalmers was noticeably frosty towards McKeon after the duo helped Australia to gold in the mixed relay on Saturday (AEST), seemingly avoiding the world’s best female swimmer in the aftermath of the record-breaking win.

Talk of a rift between the former couple has been rife since McKeon went public with her relationship with Simpson last month.

When introduced to the crowd for the start of the relay final the Australian foursome – which also included Mollie O’Callaghan and William Yang - were the only team not to hold hands and raised them in unison.

Then after winning the gold medal, Yang leaned into the water to shake McKeon’s hand, as did O’Callaghan while Chalmers elected to stay well behind the blocks, instead turning across to the Canadian team for some back slapping.

While the optics suggested a snub, Elijah Winnington insists the distance between the pair is nothing but a sign of respect.

An image was posted to the Instagram account of Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers.

“All this hype over the love triangle and all that I think it’s just hype,” he told News Corp.

“There’s nothing like that actually in the team. And that’s I guess the unfortunate thing is because, you know, lies are getting spread when it’s not true.”

When pressed as to whether it was normal to not even congratulate a member of your own relay team, Winnington added: “I don’t think it’s about that. I think it’s just more saving respect for Cody (Simpson), I think if Kyle had have done either which way he would have been painted as the bad guy.

“So I mean, I think it’s just a tough situation to be in. You know, we’ve all had exes in the past and we’ve all we’ve never really had to them work with the colleague of the new boyfriend.

“There’s definitely no tension and it’s amicable if anything on the team so it’s just a shame that it’s getting painted out that way.”

Hours after the race Chalmers took to social media to congratulate his relay colleagues before reposting a message from his current on-off girlfriend, Madi Wilson who had won the bronze medal in the 200m freestyle.

The podium was a somewhat awkward moment.

This was followed by Chalmers posting an image of himself grabbing his crotch - described as crude on social media - with the caption “out here having fun, doing what I love with the people I love doing it with.”

Engagement from his swim team peers was split.

Sam Short, who noted this was “how it should be” , followed by a red heart.

Chalmers and Short had been hanging about with Isaac Cooper at the team camp in France.

Cooper missed the Commonwealth Games after being sent home from the team camp in France for “wellbeing challenges, including the use of medication”.

Fellow Australian Meg Harris also supported Chalmers, sending him some hand clapping, and Canadian champion Maggie McNeil, whom Chalmers had wrapped his arm around shortly after the relay event, was also impressed.

Those who “liked” it were team members Shayna Jack, Short, Ariana Titmus, Brianna Throssell and Elijah Winnington.

McKeon and Simpson did not react on social media, nor did senior statesmen like Mack Horton, Mitch Larkin, and the Campbell sisters.

Team insiders say the long campaign of having been to the world championships in Budapest in June, followed by the team camp in France and now the Commonwealth Games has created a chilly atmosphere among team members.

“We are just sick of each other,’’ one told NewsCorp.

“Two weeks ago it wasn’t a countdown to the start of the Commonwealth Games, it was a ticking off the days until we got home. It has been too long.”