Understudy Cartwright steps up to replace Kyle Chalmers

Queensland teenager Jack Cartwright will step into Kyle Chalmers’ shoes at the world championships in Budapest.

Australia’s next sprint star Jack Cartwright. Picture: Liam Kidston

Australia couldn’t get that lucky twice, could it?

Teenage Olympic 100m freestyle champion Kyle Chalmers is a once-in-a-generation talent, but he may not be the only Australian sprinter in his age group capable of making an international splash.

Queensland’s Jack Cartwright has been racing Chalmers since they were 14 and will now step into the Olympic gold medallist’s shoes at the world championships in Budapest next month.

Overshadowed by the early-maturing Chalmers through their junior years, 18-year-old Cartwright has begun to make waves of his own this year.

He finished just one place behind Chalmers in the 100m freestyle final at the national trials in April, clocking a personal best of 48.43sec as he defied a bout of bronchitis.

So when Chalmers withdrew from the national team last month to have surgery for his worsening heart condition, Cartwright inherited his spot in the 100m for the world titles.

It’s not the way he wanted to earn it but he is determined to make the most of the experience after surprising himself by winning selection on his first national team two months ago.

“Making the senior team wasn’t really my goal this year,’’ he said.

“The Commonwealth Games (on the Gold Coast next year) was my major goal and I was just trying to get some experience for next year.’’

Once he fell ill before the 200m freestyle final (he still went on to finish fourth in that event in a personal best of 1:47.57), his expectations were even lower.

“I just tried to push through and see what I could do,’’ he said. “But now that’s given me a bit of confidence, swimming with bronchitis and doing the times I did, so I am really looking forward to seeing what I can do at the worlds.

“I want to try to go faster than I did at trials and get everything I can out of the experience.’’

Stepping up in the headline event at the world titles as an 18-year-old could be daunting, but Cartwright said racing Chalmers through their junior years had prepared him well for racing at the highest level.

“When I went to my first age nationals at 14, Kyle was already a man-child,’’ Cartwright recalled. “It was a bit daunting seeing him in marshalling.’’

Cartwright has never beaten Chalmers but he said watching a swimmer of his age go on and conquer the world had inspired him to follow in his path.

“Kyle has really given me that drive. What he’s done has really opened my eyes that it doesn’t matter how old you are if you stick with it.’’

National head coach Jacco Verhaeren had not seen much of Cartwright before he popped up at this year’s trials but he was impressed with his performances there.

“He’s an exciting athlete,’’ Verhaeren said. “He did very well last year at the junior Pan Pacs and he’s showing that he’s truly capable of stepping up in important moments.

“He can still gain a lot of strength and skill. He can improve on his starts and turns and the way he executes his race.

“Kyle is an outlier. Jack is later to develop and there’s still a lot to gain from him.’’