It’s been rough sledding for the Australian Olympic swim team: after a somewhat-disappointing Olympic meet, Cate Campbell announced a hernia surgery, Bronte Barratt and Madison Wilson were hospitalized for pneumonia and now 100 free gold medalist Kyle Chalmers has also been hospitalized.
A Yahoo News report quotes Chalmers as saying he was sick for the last three days in Rio, half-jokingly terming them “not the best days of my life.”
The 18-year-old Chalmers was reportedly hospitalized for pneumonia before flying home from Rio, but is now back in the Land Down Under. The Yahoo News video shows Chalmers visiting schoolmates at Immanuel College.
Chalmers, who previously played Australian rules football in addition to swimming and is still “an AFL fanatic” (to use the verbage of the Yahoo report), was presented with a signed football, and the school extended an invitation to him to play with the school team over the weekend.
“If I ran out there and played another five minutes, I’d double my career,” Chalmers said with a grin – he eventually gave up the sport to focus solely on swimming. And swimming fans worried the Olympic champ might renege on his swimming-only commitment can rest easy, as Chalmers downplayed the likelihood he’d take the school up on its offer.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “I don’t think I’m well enough.”
We have to think more about our athlets’ health and less about fitting in with US TV. How can the swimmers perform at best when getting to bed at 1.30 am and being woken for drug testing at 6.30 am. CRAZY!!
Somehow Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Ryan Murphy, Lilly King, Anthony Ervin, Maya DiRado and Simone Manuel all managed. Maybe you can ask them. Or the 34 other American athletes who managed to win a medal.
There are reports out of Brazil that an investigation has been opened as to whether or not the Australian 3 actually had pneumonia. Chalmers, Barret and Wilson have been summoned to testify to the severity of their illnesses to ascertain whether or not it was in fact pneumonia or simply a “strong cold.”
The exaggerated medical claims have resulted in unrest within Rio. Protests have already been held outside Poder Judiciario Estado Do Rio De Janeiro as citizens of Rio are fed up with foreigners slandering their city.
Falsifying medical claims in Brazil can be punishable with fines up to 10,000,000 Real and 5 years in prison.
Brilliant. I’m sure Brazil’s Ministry of Truth will get to the bottom of this.
Lol. 😀
Poor bugger’s almost got a forehead as big as mine. Might be the one race I can beat him in.
Large forehead is in these days. Chalmers, Ledecky, etc
I find it funny how the ones who criticized literally EVERYTHING about Rio, were the only ones who got hospitalized, I think its Rio telling the Aussies to leave
“Literally”? I think not!
Why are you so negative? Enjoy all the success and be grateful that all these athletes work so hard to represent us.