The idea of ‘making history’ is thrown around rather liberally across the sporting landscape, but it truly fits for Alastair Chalmers when it comes to Guernsey sports.
Whether it was playing football for local club Vale Recreation FC or racing around an athletics track, it was clear Chalmers was fast - but there was more to it than that. His warm personality meshed with a self-confidence created an aura that he was destined for exciting things.
Armed with a dedicated and driven family comprised of father Chris, mother Lesley and older brother - and Team GB Olympian - Cameron, Chalmers has impressed as he made a name for himself in Guernsey, Bath and the wider United Kingdom. On Saturday 6 August, all his training and preparation ensured Chalmers claimed Guernsey’s first ever track and field medal in the Commonwealth Games as he clinched bronze in the 400m hurdles.
“Whenever people say history has been made, it’s a unique and wonderful feeling - especially for an island with a great community,” Chalmers exclusively told Mirror Sport. “I’m so proud to win the first track and field athletics medal. I just hope it inspires a lot people in athletics to push on and be proud to run for Guernsey.
“I could picture myself on the podium before the race - you have to back yourself as an athlete - but actually standing there with my name on the board and seeing the Guernsey flag rise up, I was almost in disbelief. It was so beautiful, and I believed I could do it even with my disrupted lead up to the Games.”
Rather remarkably, Chalmers completed his stunning run just one week removed from suffering from Covid. The 22-year-old revealed the frustration he experienced during the time, moping around the house and admitting to his partner and team members he didn’t want to compete as he wasn’t near his best.
Funny how things can change, though. Fortune intervened and saw Chalmers test negative on both lateral flow and PCR in the week preceding the race. The Guernsey star overcame physical struggles to qualify for the final as a fastest loser before putting in the performance of his life at the Alexander Stadium.
“Covid messed me up for the whole week and it was really quite a depressing time because I wasn’t enjoying myself,” Chalmers said frankly. “Everyone around me - my family, my team - all knew it wasn’t right. I was lucky to wake up on the morning of the final with more energy for the first time in three weeks, so I just carried that into the race at night.
“I was shocked I finished so strong after contracting Covid, because that’s the moment when you’re pushing your lungs and aerobic system the most. It was quite unbelievable how I finished so well.”
Perhaps he finished so well because he had the 30,000-strong crowd behind him. As the lone Brit in the event, Chalmers received an overwhelming wave of support and he made no attempts to hide how important the boost was as he closed the gap on the early leaders to claim third.
He admitted he made an error in his stride pattern on the first bend, but trusted his body and dug deep to finish incredibly strongly. Chalmers fed off the energy of the crowd to catch Kenyan Wiseman Mukhobe on the final straight and make history.
“The thing that really lifted me was that crowd; it was like a home event and they were so amazing,” Chalmers added after taking a deep breath. “People who had been to London 2012 said they hadn’t heard a crowd like that since those Olympics, so it was a unique thing to be a part of.
“I’m always so focused going into and during a race, but for the first time in my life I could hear the crowd coming down the home straight. I heard the roar and I figured I was catching the guys in front and it just got louder and louder.
“Even if I go to an Olympic final or win a European medal, it wouldn’t be the same. My dream is to become an Olympian, but that moment right there….wow. Just perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing. It’ll be with me for the rest of my life.”
Naturally, Chalmers’ run - and passionate display of emotion as he celebrated the result with his team, friends and family in the stadium - caught the attention of the athletics world. His performance was heavily praised by Olympic legends Michael Johnson and Jessica Ennis-Hill, which felt particularly surreal for Chalmers, who grew up admiring such athletes and their achievements.
To hear Johnson’s praise in particular was particularly special given his notoriety as a particularly harsh critic. Chalmers added: “They’re athletes who understand the feeling of winning medal, and they could see how much it meant to me. I think it home for them; athletes need to show that kind of passion. We work so hard throughout the year and train for moments that last 49 seconds!
“It’s fun to run your race and put on a show, because that’s what we dream of doing at the end of the day. People pay to watch us run, so that’s why I show my emotion every time I race.”
Perhaps the emotion stemmed from representing Guernsey. While he described racing for Britain as ‘a true honour’, there is something oddly nostalgic as Chalmers expresses what running with the green of Guernsey emblazoned across him means.
“There are few opportunities to represent the island on a major level, but that’s what happened in Birmingham,” Chalmers declared. “It’s just this special feeling of representing who you are, where you're from, family, friends and that community.
“I’m just a kid from Guernsey; it’s how I stay grounded and keep the fire in my belly to get better and better.”
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Even with a bronze Commonwealth Games medal forever etched next to his name, Chalmers remains exactly that: a kid from Guernsey. Knowing him and his mentality though, that memorable night in Birmingham will be used as motivation for what he can achieve in the future.
The World Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games came in lightning quick succession, and the calendar doesn’t slow down anytime soon. Chalmers is set to take a month off to give his body and mind a rest following a whirlwind of emotions since Birmingham, but then it’s back to work.
“I've got so much passion for the sport, and I want to keep improving. Next year is massive; the World Championships in Budapest and then the Island Games in Guernsey, which I will compete in as it’s at home, but it will probably be my last one,” Chalmers admits. “Also, if I can run the time I ran this year, that will qualify me for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“I want to keep the momentum going - I'm not going to be happy until I’m on the start line in Paris. That's the goal of my career. It’s going to be a lot of hard work and sacrifice, but moments like in Birmingham make it all so worth it.”
If Chalmers does qualify for Paris, he’ll represent Team GB - but he’ll always have 63,463 loyal supporters from the Channel Islands in his corner. Forget bronze; Chalmers is Guernsey’s golden boy who made history.
