We sat down with Olympic champion and world-record holder Kyle Chalmers after his recent signing with arena. Chalmers explains why he signed with arena, sighting that his scm 100 free best was stuck at 45.5 for years, then within 2 weeks of wearing an arena suit, he went 45.0 and then 44.8, his first world record.
Chalmers also updates us on the status of his shoulder after his most recent surgery that forced him to withdraw from the 2021 SC world Champs. He’s just finishing up his first real break from swimming since the 2021 Olympic Games (where he won silver by .06 in the 100 free) and his shoulder is feeling ready to get back into training.
Lastly, we discuss Chalmers’ motivation heading into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Chalmers admits that if he would have won gold in Tokyo (which may have taken a world record), he wouldn’t be very motivated now. However, losing to longtime rival Caeleb Dressel by such a slim margin has lit a fire in his belly, one that will only be quenched by an Olympic gold-medal sandwich (stacking his 2 100 free Olympic gold medals on either side of his 100 free Olympic silver).
He did make my heart skip chasing down Caleb. He was faster in the water that day, but Caleb has those insane starts and under waters. You want to beat him, start with off the block and being as close as your can to his explosiveness.
I am a massive Dressel fan, but in the last 5 meters of that 100 I said out loud that Chalmers was about to win, never been so glad to make a wrong call
Right there with you, I thought he was going to out touch CD. I let out a big sigh of relief after that.
Koresnikov also seems to want to sign a contract with arena. There is a possibility that he will also be able to put out in the 46 seconds range.
.06 is a big ouchy
I think Dressel will not be keen to cede the 100freestyle gold to Chalmers in 2 years
It’s not like he really has a choice
Neither of them will be keen to lose. They are both extremely talented swimmers and great competitors. These kind of rivalries make swimming more interesting for the public.
Needs to change coaches.
How is this a news item? Don”t this no anyone in the world thought he wouldn’t be…
Brooks Curry is your Paris 2024 Men’s 100 meter freestyle olympic gold medalist. You heard it here first.
he might pull the biggest disappointment/upset in paris if he gets an individual spot during the 2024 trials
PB of 48.19 is a long shot away from 47.02
Let’s hope his shoulder keeps up with his motivation