Emblazoned in German across Kyle Chalmers’ chest are the words: “nur die starken überleben”, which translates as “only the strong survive”. But the Australian is much more than a survivor in the world of swimming. He has a competitive record that few can match, with Olympic gold and silver in the blue riband 100m freestyle, and is intent on extending that run at his third Olympics in Paris.
There is a tinge of defiance as well as the nod to resilience in that tattoo, which reflects Chalmers’ time as one of the world’s fastest men in water. He has overcome more adversity than most and will have to do so again if he is to mount the Olympic podium for a third time.
Chalmers is not currently ranked in the world’s top 10 on times (he is 11th with a best of 47.63sec), and two of the next generation of challengers have already cracked 47 seconds this year – new world record-holder Pan Zhanle with 46.80sec, and European champion David Popovici with 46.88sec. But in his nine-year international career, Chalmers has never finished worse than second in the 100m freestyle at any major championship.
That is despite three rounds of heart surgery to cure the super ventricular tachycardia that undermined the early part of his career, degenerative discs in his spine, shoulder surgery that limited his preparation for the Tokyo Olympics (where he finished second by 0.06 seconds), well-documented battles with his mental health, and an inexplicably persistent desire to give up swimming and pursue an AFL career.
A unique place in history is beckoning for the 26-year-old Chalmers in Paris, as no man has reclaimed the Olympic 100m freestyle title. Four of the greatest sprinters in history – Duke Kahanamoku (1912 and 1920), Johnny Weissmuller (1924 and 1928), Alex Popov (1992 and 1996) and Pieter van den Hoogenband (2000 and 2004) – won back-to-back titles, and Chalmers would join that elite band of dual champions if he wins in Paris.
“It’s going to be a very, very fast race,” Chalmers says. “I’m really excited to challenge myself against the former world record-holder [Popovici], the current world record-holder [Pan], and there are guys in there that are also going to be a hell of a lot faster than probably I’ve ever been as well.
“I love being part of those high pressure moments. For me, it’s all about getting my hand on the wall first. But I do believe I’m going to have to swim my very, very best race I’ve ever produced in my career to be able to win.”
One might think that a perfect preparation would be required for the Australian to triumph in Paris. Chalmers hasn’t had that.
Since he won the world title in Fukuoka this time last year, he has had ankle surgery to repair ligaments torn playing football, then he split from his coach of 13 years in Peter Bishop . Chalmers has since moved from Adelaide to Queensland to train with his new coach Ash Delaney.
Most recently his lower back problem has flared, requiring four cortisone injections in the lead-up to last month’s Olympic trials. He then developed a respiratory infection during the competition.
However none of that fazed Chalmers when he stood up in the 100m freestyle final at the trials, winning in 47.75sec to clinch his place at the Olympics. It wasn’t pretty – he looked stiff in the water – and it wasn’t overly fast, but he got the job done.
That is the key to Chalmers’ temperament. He loves to defy circumstances and expectations. He offered some insight into his mindset at the end of the trials.
“[I’ve] never had a perfect prep and that’s OK,” Chalmers says. “I enjoy having something that distracts me, and something I have to rise above and challenge myself. I think I would be stressed if I was to have to go the opposite way and have the perfect preparation.”
Chalmers takes pride in his ability to produce his best no matter what the situation.
“It has definitely been a rollercoaster, and even this year having to move coach and move states – something I’ve never had to do in my swimming career,” he says. “So to move to Queensland and try to fit into a new squad and new environment and new training regime has been challenging, but I guess you’ve just got to embrace the challenges and rise above them and not let them drag you down. And I’m really proud of myself that I’ve been able to do that throughout my career.”
It may not be conscious, but Chalmers has at times put hurdles in his own way. Until a couple of years ago, he was still thinking seriously about abandoning swimming to make a bid for an AFL career, following in the footsteps of his father Brett. Chalmers spoke to several AFL clubs, including Geelong, before the Tokyo Olympics. But when the crunch came post-Tokyo to switch sports, it was the words of his friend and former AFL player Sam Jacobs that stayed with him.
“I remember kicking the football with Sam and him saying to me: ‘Well, why would you want to go play football? You’re going to be 46th on an AFL list, probably never getting a game, whereas in your sport at the moment, you’re right up there as one of the top swimmers in the world. So if I was you, I’d continue to swim.’ I think that really resonated with me a lot, and helped me realise just how good I am at swimming.”
He finally gave up his childhood dream and said that decision had given him a better appreciation for the sport that chose him.
“Once I got past Tokyo, and I fully committed myself to continue to swim, I think that I’ve found a real passion for it, especially through these later years of my career,” Chalmers says. “I’ve got so many great friends from around the world, I love being one of the best in the world in my sport, I love training, I love everything that comes with swimming. So it’s been easy to continue to swim and I’m probably in the best place with swimming that I’ve ever been.”
His personal life is also settled, after he became engaged to Norwegian swimmer Ingeborg Loyning on 19 June, just before departing for the Australian team’s pre-Olympic training camp in France. With maturity has come a new focus on his legacy in the sport.
“I definitely am pretty driven and motivated by medals and continuing to get those Wikipedia stats,” he says.
When he looks back at his 18-year-old self going to his first Olympics, Chalmers sees a “very young and naive” teenager from Port Lincoln in South Australia, who didn’t really know “what the Olympics was or how special that moment actually was”.
“After day one in Rio, I remember really thinking to myself, ‘I’m going win the 100 freestyle’,” he says. “Now I wish I had that confidence and I wish I had that same mentality … for me it was just another competition and I wanted to be the fastest there, and I probably believed I could be and I think that was a blessing.”
Chalmers regards his silver medal swim in Tokyo five years later as a better performance, nominating it as his “proudest moment” as an individual swimmer.
“I didn’t start swimming properly until about March that year after coming back from shoulder surgery and there was so much doubt in my mind,” he says. “To be able to actually perform and swim a personal-best time in the Olympic final again was something that I’m going to be for ever proud of.”
He is aware that the Paris Games could be his last shot at Olympic glory and intends to “enjoy every little moment of it”.
“I’d love to go to the Olympics again, but Cam [McEvoy] is the only one who has ever been able to go to four [Olympics] as a male athlete in Australia. Statistically speaking, this could be my last one.”
