Chalmers Drops The 200 Freestyle Final On Day 2 Of Australian Nationals

2023 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• April 17 – 20, 2023
• Marine Parade, Southport, Queensland
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• Prelims at 10 a.m. AEST / 8 p.m. EST; finals at 6 p.m. AEST / 4 a.m. EST
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After qualifying for the 200 freestyle final in second place at the 2022 Australian Swimming Championships, Kyle Chalmers dropped out of the final. Chalmers hit a 1:47.39 in the heats, behind Kai Taylor‘s 1:46.82 but did not swim in the A final at night.

Chalmers would have likely been in contention for a medal or even a gold in the 200 free, holding a PB of 1:45.48, which is more than a second faster than Kai Taylor‘s ultimate winning time of 1:46.67. Flynn Southam took silver with a 1:46.67 and Elijah Winnington came in third with a 1:47.24 to claim the bronze medal. Chalmers’ prelims time of 1:47.39 would have clocked in right behind Winnington and ahead of true 4th-place finisher Thomas Neill (1:47.53).

This meet is not a qualification meet for the World Championships this year so Chalmers’ absence in the final is not really consequential for the rest of his season. Additionally, he does not tend to race it internationally so he may have just raced prelims as preparation for his upcoming, signature, 100 freestyle. At the 2021 Australian Olympic Trials, Chalmers won the 200 freestyle with a PB of 1:45.48 but didn’t go on to race the event at the Olympics, leaving the event to #2 finisher Winnington and #3 Neill.

The 200 freestyle was Chalmers’ second event of this meet, following the 50 butterfly on day one. Chalmers raced to a silver medal in that event as he hit a 23.35 to touch behind Ben Armbruster‘s 23.05.

Chalmers will race the 100 freestyle on day four of the meet as the top seed by nearly a second. Chalmers holds a 47.36 entry time to place him atop the psych sheets and ahead of Flynn Southam‘s 48.23. That 47.36 comes from last year at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and is slightly slower than the 47.08 PB he hit at Grangju 2019 and at the Tokyo Olympics.

In Chalmers’ absence in the men’s 200 freestyle A final, 11th-place finisher in prelims Maximillian Giuliani advanced into the heat and placed 6th overall (1:48.74). Alexander Graham notably got disqualified in the final after swimming a 1:47.54 for 4th place in prelims.