‘Very long time’: Kyle Chalmers doubles down on wild Olympics claim

Kyle Chalmers has revealed just how much longer he wants to keep swimming after rubbished claims he was going to retire in Paris.

Aussie swim king Kyle Chalmers has revealed he could keep swimming until the Brisbane 2032 Olympics after rumours swirled he was looking to quit the sport.

At 26 years old, many swimmers are starting to look at what’s next but Chalmers has teased potentially going to a fourth and fifth Olympics.

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Chalmers burst onto the scene when he won 100m freestyle gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, while he’s finished with the silver at both Tokyo and Paris, while also being Australia’s anchor in the 100m relays.

Chalmers also holds the 100m freestyle short course world record, and has since 2021.

Kyle claimed three medals in Paris. Picture: Adam Head

He got silver in the 100m free. Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Having claimed silver in Paris behind China’s Pan Zhanle in a world record time, Chalmers didn’t waste any time to rubbish rumours of retirement.

“This is not my last individual event,” he told Nine. “I’m not retiring any time soon.

“I did everything I possibly could and I’m really proud.”

And after winning 4x100m freestyle and 100m freestyle silver as well as 4x100m mixed medley bronze, Chalmers has doubled down.

“There are guys that are going to beat me at some point,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“But hopefully that’s after the LA Olympics … if I make it to LA.

“If I make it to LA, then it’s a home Olympics in Brisbane 2032, so who knows.

“I could swim on for a very long time.”

Chalmers would be 34 at the Brisbane 2032 Games.

The rumours of retirement were actually kicked off by Chalmers himself, who said on SEN radio in 2023: “It will be the last Olympics for definitely me … I‘ll be 26.

“Even this year, being in the marshalling room before the race, I was the oldest by quite a few years. There were a few born in 2002, 2003, one of the Romanian boys just turned 18.

“There’s a lot of young guys rolling through. Even in Tokyo I was this second oldest at 22 and the old boy Caleb Dressel has slowed down a little bit.

“I’ll be old and ready to start the next chapter of my life.”

Kyle is going nowhere. Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images

But as the comments began to swirl, Chalmers clarified that he wasn’t giving the sport away.

“There are many competitions after the Olympics that still give me the opportunity to represent my country at the highest level,” Chalmers said immediately after.

“We have a World Championships short course in 2024, World Championship long course in 2025, Commonwealth Games in 2026 and plenty of World Cups in there also. I’ll be busy, I have plenty of titles that need defending.

“But yes Paris will be my third and most likely last Olympic Games. 2028 is a very long way away, but who knows, if the body and the mind hold up maybe I’ll even be in Brisbane in 2032.

“For now it’s time to lock in and give my absolute all to having success in Paris. Hungrier then ever.”

While equestrian Andrew Hoy is Australian who has gone to the most Olympics, and many more have five or six, for Aussie swimmers, Leisel Jones, Cate Campbell, Emily Seebohm and Cam McEvoy are the only to have contested four Olympic Games.

McEvoy, who won the 2024 50m freestyle gold medal at the age of 30, has also teased making it to Brisbane, where he’ll be 38, and likely would have gone to six Olympics.