Chalmers Answers Dressel’s 200 Free PB With New Lifetime Best 50 Free

Caeleb Dressel

2019 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

As a reminder this meet is NOT a World Championships qualifying affair. The Australian World Championships Trials take place in June.

On the heels of American Caeleb Dressel firing off his fastest 200m free ever, in-season to boot, halfway around the world his speeding bullet rival Kyle Chalmers of Australia threw down a personal best of his own.

While competing on the final night of the 2019 Australian National Championships, 20-year-old Chalmers produced his quickest 50m freestyle to do date, a time of 22.07 to win the gold in South Australia at his home pool.

The 2016 100m free Olympic champion wrapped up his remarkable 4th national title at these championships with this win, having claimed the 100m free, 200m free and 100m fly throughout the 6-day competition.

Entering these Nationals, Chalmers’ personal best in this 50m free event rested at the 22.13 he threw down just this past January at the South Australian Open States. Prior to that, you’d have to go back to the 2016 and 2015 for his lifetime bests, which were 22.15 and 22.19, respectively. The latter time was logged en route to the gold at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Singapore. At that competition, Chalmers took home an incredible 7 medals, including double gold in the aforementioned 50m free and 100m free.

With his 22.07 tonight, Chalmers now inserts himself into the world rankings as the 11th fastest swimmer, fittingly just .01 ahead of Dressel.

2018-2019 LCM MEN 50 FREE

2Vladimir
MOROZOV
RUS21.2708/15
3Bruno
FRATUS
BRA21.3106/09
4Kristian
GKOLOMEEV
GRE21.4507/27
5Benjamin
PROUD
GBR21.4804/28
6Andrea
VERGANI
ITA21.5304/02
7Michael
ANDREW
USA21.6207/27
8Shinri
SHIOURA
JPN21.6704/07
8Pawel
JURASZEK
POL21.6707/27
10Florent
MANAUDOU
FRA21.7206/21
11Maxim
LOBANOVSKIJ
HUN21.7903/27
12Artem
SELIN
RUS21.8307/07
13Maxime
GROUSSET
FRA21.8607/26
14Ryan
HELD
USA21.8708/04
14Nathan
ADRIAN
USA21.8708/09
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Wondering
4 years ago

Headline is trying too hard…

Dan O
4 years ago

200 free and medley relays would be an awesome thing at Worlds and the Olympics.

Luigi
4 years ago

The back-half guy is getting raw speed and the sprinter is gaining resistance. They’ll meet at half-way in the 100 for the perfect storm.

snarky
4 years ago

Not to be a Negative Nancy but the Aussies have a history of over-hyping one or two swimmers (especially male sprinters) with monikers like “KIng Kyle” and claims that their athletes are not rested at trial meets only to have poor performances at the big event. Too much wild anticipation by the Aussie press. I’d love to see Chalmers do something special this summer but I suspect he will be about the same as he was at these trial without facial hair and a full taper.

Robbos
Reply to  snarky
4 years ago

And the Americans don’t hype up their swimmers? Dressel, Andrew & Farris?

bear drinks beer
Reply to  Robbos
4 years ago

Take Dean off the list please. He deserves all the hype.😉

Luigi
Reply to  snarky
4 years ago

It’s kinda hard to over-hype an Olympic champ.

Longhorn
Reply to  Luigi
4 years ago

I agree and I just think he’s beyond focused. I think Kyle will win 2 or more Gold at worlds.

Bigboy21
Reply to  snarky
4 years ago

This wasn’t a trial meet, their selection trials are 2 months away which is why a lot of them were “swimming through” or not even swimming eg HortonJoin the discussion…

He Said What?
4 years ago

Nope. I don’t care how talented you are. When you step up on the blocks at your national championships, you ARE rested and ready to go. With Kyle, probably not fully tapered, but definitely to some degree. People comparing the training stages of Dressel and Kyle are being ridiculous. It won’t matter where they are in April because Worlds is where they will BOTH be fully tapered and sharpened to a razor’s edge. THEN we are going to see brilliant racing from both. Kyle is young and already Olympic champion. Caeleb is young and already a world champion. Both will be ready for Korea.

Loretta Race
Reply to  He Said What?
4 years ago

Many top Aussies didn’t even bother to swim these Nationals, FYI.

Caleb
Reply to  Loretta Race
4 years ago

the guys who didn’t show up are definitely tapered but they’ve also got full beards and only shaved one leg… not sure if they’re wearing a drag suit or just drag while they sit and watch these races on the telly.

Terror
Reply to  Loretta Race
4 years ago

Lmao did you really lose your red color.

John26
4 years ago

Honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see Chalmers down at 21.5/21.6 by next year this time, if not this year (his predecessors were able to do this), and let’s not forget what happened to McEvoy and Magnussen’s times when their 50m times dropped to this level.

Chalmers already seems to ahead of Magnussen was in 2011 (in 50 and 100 times), if he can taper to a 47.1 or 47.2 already by cleaning some things up and could barely manage sub22 in the 50free, he would be unstoppable if he ever gets down to 21.5 in the 50free.

Dee
4 years ago

Gee, the Chalmers-Dressel show has already begun. I’ll be laughing if somebody comes over the top of them both in the 100fr at Worlds!

Old Man Chalmers
Reply to  Dee
4 years ago

I wouldn’t rule it out, look at the women’s 100 free in rio

Dee
Reply to  Old Man Chalmers
4 years ago

Yep, wouldn’t surprise me either… Lots of talent in the pool for the sprints, male and female.

The Ready Room
Reply to  Old Man Chalmers
4 years ago

Or the men’s… lol. Doubt many people picked Chalmers to win that race.

Torchbearer
Reply to  The Ready Room
4 years ago

Even at the 75m mark!

Robbos
Reply to  Torchbearer
4 years ago

Best finisher in the business.

Rafael
Reply to  Dee
4 years ago

Grinev? Also BRA and GBR trials next week..

Jeff
Reply to  Dee
4 years ago

I’ve got down Duncan Scott as the biggest challenge to them. At least he’s capable of beating Chalmers.

Dee
Reply to  Jeff
4 years ago

Personally not sure about Duncan – Suspect he lacks the speed to 50m to get under 47.5, but 47.7/47.8 will be bronze medal competitive.

Togger
Reply to  Dee
4 years ago

Needs to get on the Proud lifting regime. Stood behind the blocks he looks like he got the wrong start time for the 1500.

Troy
Reply to  Jeff
4 years ago

He beat a Chalmers while he was still in the process of returning to form after his time off and surgery in 2017. Duncan hasn’t even broken 48 yet.

Loretta
Reply to  Troy
4 years ago

This year? Or ever? His PB is 47.9

Togger
Reply to  Dee
4 years ago

Dean announced as swimming under the UN flag, as his omniscience means he was born literally everywhere.

Goes out in a 22 mid, then switches from breast to freestyle for the second 50 and brings home the win.

Old Man Chalmers
Reply to  Togger
4 years ago

no, dean will break the wr in a dragsuit

Laps
Reply to  Dee
4 years ago

Sun Yang will take up the 100 free and win in time for Gwangju. Chalmers and Dressel will both miss finals due to DQs resulting from a brawl in the marshaling area over who was more rested in April. SwimSwam posters will have a collective aneurysm leaving the comment sections as a ghost town well past Tokyo 2020.

Rafael
4 years ago

And Titmus just split 53 on a relay…

Old Man Chalmers
Reply to  Rafael
4 years ago

Harkin almost dq’d the team with a +0.08 RT, she’ll have to work on that if she swims the breast leg in the future

commonwombat
Reply to  Retta Race
4 years ago

Will need a further 0.21sec PB at Trials but has certainly marked herself as a potential contender for 2nd spot in W100BRS. 200BRS will be a significantly bigger ask but with McKeown Sr still seemingly off her game; AUS qualifying anyone in that event is far from certain.

Coach Mike 1952
Reply to  Rafael
4 years ago

Looks like we have the potential building for a lot of good swimming this summer!

About Retta Race

Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having just earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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