Kyle Chalmers On 47.35 100 Free: “I’ve Never Had 2 In-Season PBs” (Video)

2019 AUSTRALIAN WORLD SWIMMING TRIALS

  • Sunday, June 9th – Friday, June 14th
  • Brisbane Aquatic Centre
  • LCM
  • Live Results

Reigning Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers put up the best 100m freestyle time of his career in Brisbane, capturing his 2nd World Championships qualifying event in the process. After establishing himself as the top seeded swimmer in 47.91 this morning, the Marion swimmer brought down the house with a mighty 47.35 this evening to lower his previous 47.48 PB from Aussie Nationals.

What’s astonishing about the 20-year-old’s swim is how he back-halfed it once again, but this time to the tune of a 24.22 closing 50m. That’s the 2nd fastest 50m split we can find through our unofficial, cursory look, with only American Michael Phelps’ 24.20 back half split from his 4x100m freestyle lead-off at the 2008 Olympics coming in faster.

Bottom line, Chalmers says he was specifically seeking a PB and that is what he accomplished in spades, becoming the 10th fastest performer in history in the process.

As originally reported:

MEN’S 100 FREE – FINAL

King Kyle Chalmers blasted the fastest 100m freestyle time of his career tonight, a monster 47.35 to take gold in a World Championships-qualifying outing. That takes over his previous PB of 47.48 from Aussie Nationals in April and also moves the 20-year-old Marion swimmer back on top of the world rankings throne for this season.

You can read about Chalmers’ statement-making performance in the separate post here.

Behind Chalmers tonight was 21-year-old St. Peters Western standout Clyde Lewis, the swimmer who already nailed World Championships qualification in the 200m free behind Chalmers in a new personal best of 1:45.88.

Lewis took gold in the men’s 400m IM on the Gold Coast at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, as well as bronze in the 200m IM, but he opted to focus on freestyle this meet and it paid off. Although his new lifetime best of 48.46 falls short of individual qualification on paper, the fact he’s already qualified in the 200m free may make Swimming Australia give Lewis the nod in this event as well.

At minimum, he’s made it onto the men’s 4x200m free relay, along with bronze medalist here Cameron McEvoy and 4th place finisher Alex Graham. 

McEvoy touched in 48.66, his fastest since the 48.44 from last year’s Commonwealth Games.

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Swammer
5 years ago

King Kyle said he wasn’t tapered when he went 47.48. Now that he’s tapered he’s dropped .13 from his time before. I still believe that he was at least slightly tapered for the 47.4 or else we would have seen a much bigger drop from an “in-season” swim to a taper swim. Both are still amazing swims.

ERVINFORTHEWIN
5 years ago

Lewis , excellent silver considering the guy is more of an Imer .

Ole 99
5 years ago

Quote in the title is incorrect. He said, “it’s been a long time since I’ve done two PBs in a season.” Your title implies he’s saying he’s not tapered. He clearly says he’s tapered.

asd;lfhasd;lfkhasgkhs
Reply to  Ole 99
5 years ago

in a season vs in season

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  asd;lfhasd;lfkhasgkhs
5 years ago

thats the whole trick , isn’t it ?

nuotofan
5 years ago

Just for fun (or not?), considering 2016: at trials Chalmers swam 48.03, at Olympics 47.58, 45 hundredths better.
2019: at trials 47.35, at Worlds (47.35 – 0.45) = 46.90 (WR) ?

Mr Piano
Reply to  nuotofan
5 years ago

He will definitely be under 47

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  Mr Piano
5 years ago

with Dressel – both might go under 47 to get the gold ( and erase Cielo ‘s WR once and for all )

Ryan
Reply to  nuotofan
5 years ago

I don’t think that’s how it works but fun concept

remel can do anything
Reply to  Ryan
5 years ago

haha last year, trial time not far from commonwealth

Blackflag82
Reply to  nuotofan
5 years ago

Worth nothing: 2016 Australian Trials- beginning of April. Rio- beginning of August. 4 months to reset, train, and re-taper. This time around, trials is a month out. He’s tapered to some extent, so the real question is, can he pull off the double taper?

50 free
5 years ago

So he’s sayin the hasn’t tapered since last August. Hmmmmmmm

Mr Piano
Reply to  50 free
5 years ago

Did he mean that he was still untapered?

Ole 99
Reply to  Mr Piano
5 years ago

No.

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