Swimming world championships: Kyle Chalmers chases gold against David Popivici
Kyle Chalmers is on course for his first individual world title after a stunning performance in the 100m heats in Fukuoka — and his claims were strengthened by a key rival struggling.
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Kyle Chalmers looks right on song to capture his first individual world championship title after cruising into the semi-finals of the men’s 100 metres freestyle with ridiculous ease on Wednesday.
It wasn’t easy, of course, but Chalmers just always makes it seem that way as he coasted through his morning heat in 47.71 seconds at Fukuoka in Japan.
With Wednesday night’s semis and Thursday’s final still to come, Chalmers did not need to go flat out all the way but his time was still fast enough to qualify third overall, behind Englishman Matthew Richards, who won the 200m freestyle gold on Tuesday, and rising American star Jack Alexy.
Chinese teenager Pan Zhanie, who holds the fastest time in the world this year (47.22), set in June, was fifth overall while Romanian world record holder David Popovici was sixth.
Popovici won the world title last year but isn’t at his best because he’s been focussed on his final high school exams in Bucharest.
“It felt awful, but that means we can improve something,” Popovici said.
“That is a good thing, because if you have the absolute perfect race and you have nothing else to improve, you know that you’ve basically reached the top, the limit, you can do nothing better from there on.
“So I’m glad it happened now and I’m sure it has a meaning that i’m going to learn from it.--
Australian teenager Flynn Southam also safely made it through to the semis, qualifying 11th overall.
In a sign of just how fast the men’s sprints have become in recent times, Southam’s time of 48.18 was exactly the same time Michael Klim posted when he broke the individual world record as the lead-off swimmer in the Australian relay that beat the United States at the Sydney Olympics.
CHINESE NO SHOW SETS TONGUES WAGGING
The mysterious no-show of Chinese Olympic champion Zhang Yufei from the women’s 200m butterfly set tongues wagging in the pool deck on Wednesday.
One of the favourites to win the gold medal, Zhang was a notable absentee from the 200m butterfly heats, which took place just two days after she had won gold in the 100m butterfly final.
If anything, Zhang was an even stronger favourite in the 200m after winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics — then returning to the pool less than two hours later to win a second gold in the Chinese 4x200m relay team.
A Chinese team spokesperson told this masthead that Zhang was not injured or ill but had pulled out of her individual event to focus all her energy on the Chinese mixed medley relay final later on Wednesday.
China qualified fourth fastest for the relay, with Australia second, and the United States third.
Zhang’s withdrawal from the butterfly was a boost for Australia’s Lizzie Dekkers, who qualified second fastest overall for the semis.
Canada’s Summer McIntosh, the defending world champion, was third but did not go close to flat out as she also has the 200m freestyle final to swim in the evening against Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan.
KING KYLE’S QUEST FOR THE TITLE HE WANTS MOST
When it comes to helping out his teammates and getting the job done for Australia, Kyle Chalmers delivers every time.
He did it again at the world championships in Fukuoka on Sunday, unleashing a blistering anchor leg to secure Australia’s first world title in the men’s 4x100m freestyle in 12 years.
Now, his teammates and his supporters in Australia can get behind him as he chases the one remaining gold medal missing from his bulging trophy collection.
‘King Kyle’ has already won the biggest individual prizes at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Pan Pacs and world shortcourse championships – but the long-course 100m freestyle world title is the missing one he wants the most.
He’s been close – winning the silver medal in 2019 – and unlucky, suffering shoulder injuries that have prevented from attending every world championship but he gets his chance this week.
Currently in the best shape of his life, the 25-year-old has a great shot at winning but has been around too long to ever come out and say he’ll win.
“I‘m never going to talk like that,” he said.
“But I think I‘ve been around the mark for quite some time now.
“A world championship gold medal is something that‘s evaded me or whatever the word is throughout my career and it’s something that I’m desperate to do before my time is done.”
With the incredible way he’s swimming now, it may be a whole yet before Chalmers is done but he also knows there are no guarantees in swimming, especially in elite sprinting.
The men’s 100m freestyle heats start on Wednesday, with the final due to take place the following night.
If all goes well, Chalmers will be on the blocks for the final but he faces a long list of challengers, including David Popovici, the Romanian teenage sensation who won the world title last year and holds the world record.
Popovici was beaten by Chalmers at last year’s world shortcourse world titles so knows he’ll have to be at the top of his game to avenge that loss this week.
“Of course, I always have to go quick at a competition this big,” he told this masthead.
“You can‘t afford not going quick, even from the prelims. So we’ll see how it’s looking. In training, I guess it’s looking good.”
Popovici understands that Chalmers is looming as his biggest threat, but says he doesn’t really know much about the Aussie, other than what he’s seen from the couple of times they’ve raced each other.
“I‘m not really a fan of watching myself on videos or reading articles about myself. And that also applies with other competitors,” Popovici said.
“I don‘t really know anything that much about him. I know he’s a great swimmer. I suppose he’s a great guy. We’ve talked a few times and our relationship is just racing.”
SAM SHORT CHASING MORE GOLD
Fresh as a daisy after his incredible gold medal win in the 400m freestyle on Sunday, Aussie teenage star Sam Short has his eyes on another gold.
The 19-year-old is the fastest qualifier for Wednesday’s 800m freestyle final after winning his morning heat in 7:40.90, less than half a second off his personal best time.
If his stunning performance in the 400m – where he obliterated his career best time in the final – is any guide, Short will take some stopping, but nothing is a certainty.
The men’s 800m final is packed with stars – including American Bobby Finke, the reigning Olympic champion and world champion.
The 2017 world champion, Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri, is also in the final. So too is Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui, the Olympic 400m champion Short beat by a fingernail on the weekend.
Plus there’s Ukraine’s Mykhailo Romanchuk, the Olympic bronze medallist, and Northern Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen, who was runner up to Short in the 1500m at last year’s Commonwealth Games.
Winning the gold is only one of Short’s goals. His other target is to try and better Grant Hackett’s longstanding Australian record for the 800m record (7:38.65), which he set when he won the 2005 world title.
“That would be amazing,” Short said.
“I’m only 19 so I reckon I‘ve got a couple of good drops in me so that’s what I’m gunning for really.
“He‘s arguably the greatest distance of all time so if you get there you’re in good company.”
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