Chalmers gets back to his roots with 100m freestyle assault | phillutton78
Few athletes in swimming command a pool deck like Kyle Chalmers. Even among a cohort of supreme athletes, he turns heads. With a torso bristling with tattoos and a neatly cropped moustache, the South Australian struts to his own rhythm.
That carried him to the world championships in Budapest, where he forfeited his individual freestyle. He swims the 50m-100m fly double in Birmingham, but all roads lead to the 100m freestyle, with heats beginning on Sunday at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre. But it’s been six years since he stood on top of the podium at a major international meet and there is a distinct feeling of unfinished business at the Commonwealth Games, with Scotsman Duncan Scott claiming gold when he came to the Gold Coast on 2018.
“I definitely think it’s a motivator for sure,” Australia’s head coach Rohan Taylor said. “Athletes of his standard who can perform at a high level, that’s their ultimate aim. Every time they get on the blocks, that’s what they want to do. So I have no doubts that’s what he’s looking for.”Recent form suggests Chalmers might well have something special cooking.