Kyle Chalmers gives Australia a brilliant finish Swimming World Short Course ChampionshipsAnchoring the 4x100m men’s medley relay team in a dead-heat world record.
After a great swim with my mates on a Sunday night MelbourneChalmers started the final stage with a 1.3 second deficit and was still behind at the final turn.
But King Kyle again lived up to his nickname, powering the house to break two records.
Australia set a new world record on Sunday by winning the 4x100m men’s medley relay team
The Australian quartet of Isaac Cooper, Joshua Yong, Matthew Temple and Chalmers – and the Americans – clocked three minutes 18.98 seconds, running under the Russian Federation’s 3:19.16 which had been the world mark since 2009.
It also meant that Australia won a national record of 13 gold at the Melbourne Short Course Worlds, better than the 12 claimed at the 1995 and 2006 editions.
They finished second on the medal table behind the Americans’ 17 gold, and Chalmers described their gold medal as ‘incredible’.
Chalmers did not swim his 200m freestyle heats on Sunday morning in order to focus on the medley relay.
Kyle Chalmers anchors the relay and claims his third gold medal of the championships
Chalmers started the final leg with a 1.3 second deficit and was still behind at the final turn, but powered home with a superb 25 meters to take the gold
‘You see the division […] Well I’m just the guy that takes that home, those were the three that took us over the line and swam amazingly – they’re probably the heroes of the movie we made tonight,’ said Chalmers .
It was Chalmers’ third gold medal of the championships after the 100 m freestyle and the 4×50 m freestyle relay.
Despite the deficit at the start of his leg, Chalmers was confident that he could overcome American rival Kieran Smith.
‘Every time I dive into the pool I believe – I believe I can win,’ he said.
Kaylee McCann wins 200m backstroke at Short Course World Championships
‘Swimming will be my journey until it is lost in me.’
Also on Sunday night, compatriot Kaylee McKeown made history with a 200m backstroke win.
She is the first woman to hold the Olympic, Commonwealth World Long Course and World Short Course titles simultaneously for the same event.
Compatriot Grant Hackett is the only other swimmer to have achieved the same feat in the 1500 metres.
She is the first woman to hold the Olympic, Commonwealth World Long Course and World Short Course titles simultaneously for the same event
Australian legend Grant Hackett is the only other swimmer to achieve the same feat in the 1500m
‘I had no idea and it’s so surreal. To be there with someone like him, it’s phenomenal,’ she said.
McKeown was under his own world record pace for Sunday night’s final, but he clocked 1:59.26 s to fall just short of the 1:58.94 he had set two years earlier.
American Claire Curzon led McKeown all the way and took silver in 2:00.53.
It was McCann’s third gold medal at the championships after taking the 100m backstroke and being a member of the victorious 4x50m medley relay team.
McKeown won three gold medals at the championships after taking the 100m backstroke and was a member of the victorious 4x50m medley relay team.
She finished her championship run later Sunday night with a silver medal in the 4x100m medley relay as the United States broke the world record.
McKeown, Jenna Strauch, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris clocked 3:44.92, but the Americans won in 3:44.35 and bettered their own world record of 3:44.52.
Canadian Maggie McNeil opened the season on Sunday night with her second world record, breaking the old mark in the 100m butterfly.
McNeil broke the record by half a second with a time of 54.05 s.
Ryan Murphy added 200m titles to his 50m and 100m on Sunday night
She has won all three of Canada’s gold medals at the Melbourne Worlds.
American Ryan Murphy added salt to Australia’s wounds two nights ago when he completed his sweep of the men’s backstroke events.
He added the 200m to his 50m and 100m championships.
Murphy won the 50 m title on the restart two nights earlier. Cooper was first in the opening race, but that event did not count due to a timing fault, and Cooper ultimately had to settle for silver.