Australia’s relay team back Kyle Chalmers to chase Paris Olympics 100m gold at cost of 4x200m hopes

Kyle Chalmers’ performances in the relays for Australia are legendary. Head coach Rohan Taylor explains what makes him such a special team member in and out of the pool.

Kyle Chalmers swum Australia to silver in the 4x100m men’s freestyle relay. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

King Kyle Chalmers is the consummate team player. The go-to man.

If Australia needs something special, he never fails to deliver – especially in relays.

His infectiousness lifts the team.

When it’s all on the line, that’s when the Big Tuna shows why he’s the fastest fish in the ocean.

He’s done it again at Paris, unleashing one of the quickest anchor splits in history – 46.59 seconds – to help Australia win a shock silver medal in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay that just left everyone in awe of him.

“When we came in here, on paper we weren’t supposed to be on the podium in that relay,” Australia’s head coach Rohan Taylor said. “So it was really about those boys giving him the chance to do what he does best.

“But 46.59? Come on! When you go and look at the best relay splits in history, he just delivers. And what it does, it makes everybody more confident.”

Jack Cartwright, Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor and Kyle Chalmers (left to right) with their silver medals from the 4x100m relay race. Picture: Michael Klein

Chalmers’ performances in the relays for Australia are legendary. He’s now won five medals at the Olympics and 10 at the world championships.

No one lifts their game more than him when it comes to relays and the impact on everyone around him is contagious.

“He changes. I said to him yesterday ‘You’ve grown a foot’. He just seems taller to me when he comes in this environment,” Taylor said.

“That’s just what he does and it’s really fantastic to see. As far as infectiousness on the team, we’ve got a lot of those types of athletes and females that are dominant in our team.

“They carry it in different ways, Kyle is Kyle. Emma (McKeon), she was fantastic, she’s a legend. Then Mollie (O’Callaghan) and Kaylee (McKeown), I can go through the list, but they’re all unique and they all bring confidence to each other and they all care deeply for each other.”

While Chalmers has always answered the call for Australia, he’s asked to skip one of the relays in Paris to try and win a different gold medal for Australia – in the individual 100m freestyle.

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He won the 100m gold at Rio when he was still a schoolboy then silver at Tokyo and would love nothing more than to join the elite club of men who have won the blue-riband event twice.

But it clashes with the 4x200m freestyle final, for which he would be an automatic choice. He has opted for the 100m and he has all the backing of his teammates who are willing him to win gold in his pet event.

“He’s a freak in relays,” Tommy Neill said.

“If we could put him in every relay we would but at the end of the day, it’s how programs work and I think it clashes a lot with his 100m.

“No doubt us four boys will give it a very hot crack and try to do Australia really proud.”

As great as he is, Chalmers still faces a mighty challenge winning the 100m in Paris because it is such a stacked field that includes the fastest two men in history, China’s world record holder Pan Zhanle and Romania’s David Popovici.

They are both still teenagers but if there’s one swimmer who will cause them to toss and turn at night, it’s King Kyle.

“At the end of the day, if he gets in the final, I always give him a chance,” Taylor said.

“We all know that he’s a competitive beast. Look at the splits. He’s definitely put himself in form.”

Originally published as Australia’s relay team back Kyle Chalmers to chase Paris Olympics 100m gold at cost of 4x200m hopes