Over the past few days 100 freestyle Olympic champion Australian Kyle Chalmers and Olympic legend Ian Thorpe have had some fun chatting with each other. The two got together for two very different conversations.
The first was published in The Advertiser (you can find the interview here) and has a more serious tone, while the second includes several of the Olympic team in a pool with Thorpe on floaties.
The first interview is a very insightful conversation between the two Olympic champions who took both stood atop of the Olympic medal podium in their 18th year. Thorpe asked Chalmers about his unique training history, “This time last year I was focused on footy training five times a week swimming,” Chalmers told Thorpe. “Probably doing swimming because I was good at it, but I knew it was great fitness for football.”
The two also talked about their grandparents. Thorpe told Chalmers that his family doctor called his grandparents after he won his first world championship just to make sure they didn’t have a heart attack. After Chalmers explained how big of a role his grandparents have played in his life the two of them watched the video of his grandparents reaction as they saw him win Olympic gold.
Chalmers also told Thorpe that he thought he had a chance at a medal, but at the end of the race when he glided into the wall he thought that he had lost that opportunity, “I kind of took a glide into the wall than I thought there is no way I have won this because of that glide.”
They also discuss a letter that Thorpe sent Chalmers before the Olympics, “The letter you wrote me was amazing everyone was so jealous of that. I took so much away from it. Just enjoying the experience and how you said it wasn’t going to be easy.”
“I have read that letter several times I have actually got it here with me.”
In the second interview from the pool Thorpe asks Chalmers and fellow Olympic champion Mack Horton what the most annoying question that they have been asked since winning gold. Chalmers stated with a smile, “Just being compared to yourself all the time.”
Thorpe went on to ask the Olympians, who joined him in the pool, who was the biggest flirt and who ate the most junk food.
Wow, making whirlpools.. been a long time since I have done that! Great video! I’d love to see the American team do something relaxed like this too.
I mean they made a car karaoke video with all the dwimmers before the games. Also 2012 call me maybe.
Wow I wasn’t aware of how behind Australia is in humor…
Thorpe should have gotten in the whirlpool and helped them with his kick 🙂
Horton may need help with kicking, but prince Chalmers.. Sorry king Kyle, certainly doesn’t. Did you see his kicks in Rio? It was like a jet
This is great! Awesome to see Ian staying involved.
Ian is a swimming hero. Great to see him here.
oh look, they made that pool like the competition pool in Rio 😉