Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers has let his younger rivals know that he’s ready to lead them on a journey towards the Paris Games next year, winning the national 100m freestyle title on the final night of the Australian Swimming Championships.
The 24-year-old South Australian, who led from start to finish, clocked 48.00 seconds to see off teenagers Kai Taylor (48.41) and Flynn Southam (48.53) at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre on Thursday.
“These boys are the reason I get up every day – they inspire me to get up and get after it and they are the future,” said Chalmers, who admitted he has never been happier in his swimming career.
The night began with a second world record swim from Paralympian Timothy Hodge, again lowering his own 200m IM mark which he had broken in Melbourne earlier in the year and then again on Thursday morning.
The 20-year-old from Sydney clocked 2min 12.06sec and was later named in the 32-strong team for this year’s Para World Championships in July-August in Manchester.
“I’ve got to say I’m very, very happy with that time and to break that world record twice was amazing,” Hodge said.
World champion Mollie O’Callaghan claimed the women’s 200m freestyle crown in a time of 1:55.15, ahead of Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus (1:55.28) and Shayna Jack (1:55.37).
Queenslander O’Callaghan added to her last gasp win over Jack in the 100m and her personal best times in the 50 and 100m backstroke to wrap up a successful meet.
In the women’s 200m backstroke, 16-year-old Brisbane schoolgirl Jaclyn Barclay (2:11.50) lunged at the wall to take her maiden open title from Hannah Fredericks (2:11.72) and Jenna Forrester (2:11.95).
Dual Olympian Brianna Throssell added the 100m butterfly to her 50m ‘fly win, touching in 57.57 to pip Alexandria Perkins (57.64) and Kayla Costa (59.37).
Matt Temple won the 200m butterfly in 1:56.96, while Olympic bronze medallist Brendon Smith snatched the 400IM title from Tokyo teammate Se-Bom Lee.
The last individual event of the championships featured Tokyo Olympic finalist Madeleine Gough winning the 1500m freestyle in 16:08.76.
