Relay relief for Kyle Chalmers after shock defeat in 100m freestyle final

COLD-RAVAGED Kyle Chalmers has shrugged off the disappointment of defeat in the 100m to claim his third gold medal of the Games in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

COLD-RAVAGED Kyle Chalmers has shrugged off the disappointment of a loss in the 100m to claim his third gold medal of the Games after helping Australia to a win in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

Just over two hours after finishing a surprise second to Scotland’s Duncan Scott in the blue riband sprint, Chalmers was in action again, going head-to-head with his nemesis to help Australia to its fifth gold of the night in the pool.

Alex Graham led off the quartet, gaining an immediate lead for Australia before handing over to Chalmers, who staged another duel with Scott, just hanging on to keep a lead for Gold Coast teen Elijah Winnington.

Kyle Chalmers (top) congratulates Mack Horton after Australia's win. Picture: AFP

While Australia won by more than 2.5sec in a Games record 7min 5.97sec, Winnington effectively secured gold by 0.01sec after sealing his spot by a fingernail in a swim-off against Graham and Clyde Lewis on Sunday morning.

Named on his first Australian senior team as a relay swimmer, Gold Coast local Winnington was in danger of missing an official swim at the Games if he failed to fire in the trial but he just got the better of Lewis and delivered again on Sunday night, recording the fastest split of the race to ensure Mack Horton could anchor the team to gold.

“It’s all about the end time not my split,” Winnington said. “We put it together and I’m happy with the result.”

Chalmers predicted big things if the team could stay together.

Mack Horton celebrates after anchoring the relay win. Picture: Getty Images

“To come out here and break the Games record with these boys is awesome,” Chalmers said.

“We have a good couple of years coming up. Hopefully we can stick together as a team and really do something special in Tokyo.”

Chalmers revealed he had been battling a head cold but refused to blame that, or the back tightness that troubled him earlier in the meet, for his 100m loss.

“I have a bit of a head cold. That is probably the biggest thing I am dealing with,” he said.

“You know, you can’t use that as an excuse either.

“It is just I wasn’t fast enough on the night, anything can happen.

Kyle Chalmers, Elijah Winnington, Alexander Graham, Mack Horton show off their gold medals after winning the 4x200m freestyle relay. Picture: AAP

“It is faster than what I went at trials. Duncan (Scott) had a good swim tonight — what can you do?”

Scott mowed down his rivals with the fastest second 50m in the field, doing a Chalmers on Chalmers.

The South Australian turned in seventh place, just as he did when winning a surprise gold in Rio.

In almost a carbon copy of his Rio race, Chalmers stormed home over the final 50m, looking as though he would join Michael Wenden, Jon Hendricks and John Devitt as Australian winners of Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold in the 100m.

Kyle Chalmers with his silver, Duncan Scott and Chad Le Clos. Picture: AAP

But while he reeled in teammate Cameron McEvoy, who led through the opening 50m to give himself the best chance of becoming a hometown hero, he was unable to keep pace with Scott, who turned in sixth and peeled off a 24.65sec for the trip home, compared to Chalmers’ 24.68sec.

Chalmers earned silver to go with his Olympic gold, dead heating with South African Chad le Clos just 0.13sec from victory.

The Scot‘s time of 48.02sec will leave Chalmers, McEvoy and fellow Aussie Jack Cartwright — who all have personal bests in the 47sec range — scratching their heads.

Chalmers seemed sluggish in Saturday’s semi-finals, and revealed he had work on a tight back but the man nicknamed the Big Tuna, who has been fighting issues with his body since Rio, said it was the cold that had been his biggest enemy.

Le Clos’s medal sees him join Susie O’Neill with 15 Commonwealth Games medals, the most by any swimmer.

Originally published as Relay relief for Kyle Chalmers after shock defeat in 100m freestyle final