Australian superstar swimmer Kyle Chalmers posted on Instagram that the Paris 2024 Olympic Games would be his last, but after Australian media ran with that to mean he would be retiring, he clarified that the announcement doesn’t necessarily mean retirement from swimming next year.
Chalmers’ quote:
“Click bait media working hard again.. I am NOT RETIRING!! The quote was ‘It will be my last Olympics’
There are many competitions after the Olympics that still give me the opportunity to represent my country at the highest level. We have a world championships short course in 2024, world championship long course in 2025, commonwealth games in 2026 and plenty of world cups in there also. I’ll be busy, I have plenty of titles that need defending.. 😉
But yes Paris will be my third and most likely last Olympic Games. 2028 is a very long way away,, but who knows, if the body and the mind hold up maybe I’ll even be in Brisbane in 2032 😝
For now it’s time to lock in and give my absolute all to having success in Paris. Hungrier then ever 💪”
While Chalmers hedged a bit in his quote, saying Paris will “most likely” be his last Olympics, he did leave the door open for a 2028 or 2032 return. He also indicated that he’s planning to swim at the 2024 World Short Course Championships, 2025 World Aquatics Championships, the 2026 Commonwealth Games (which might not come until 2027), and on the World Aquatics World Cup circuit.
Chalmers, still only 25, has already had a long international career in swimming. He made his senior international debut in 2014 at the Oceania Swimming Championships when he was only 15, and two years later, at only 17, became one of the youngest men ever to win the Olympic gold medal in the 100 meter freestyle.
That gold medal is joined by a silver and four bronze on his Olympic resume, with the silver coming from a runner-up performance in Tokyo in 2021. He is also a 5-time World Champion in long course (among 12 total medals), 3 short course World titles (among 7 total medals), and he is the defending World Champion in both short course and long course in the 100 free.
Besides his swimming pursuits, Chalmers has dabbled in Australian Rules Football, a sport played professionally by his father. Chalmers and his international teammate Matt Temple played in a game for the Lincoln South Football Club last weekend in a minor league of Australian Rules Football.
The only major title he is missing is the Universiade/World University Games. I think you can compete in there until 27?
I think it’s the only major title missing from him and Ruta amazing resumés. He should go for it 🙏🏼
Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t consider that a major title (University Games).
Just see the records of the university games in swimming and tell me it’s not a major title? It’s the biggest competition in terms of athletes except for the Olympics and Asian games.
Of course it’s not a major title like the Olympics and Worlds…but it’s definitely a major title
Major Title is to some degree an arbitrary distinction.
I can say that a domestic level National Title isn’t a major title, but I am sure for almost every single person who has ever won one at some point it was.
Relative to the Olympics and World Championships (the level Kyle competes at) the Uni Games is not a major championship. There is absolutely no chance he is bothered by the fact he has not won one.
He is so young and yet so acomplished. Amazing swimmer. Swimming needs guys like him. Is not afraid of anything. A beast both individualy and in relays. I wish he competed at least until LA2028. Maybe take a year or 2 off like Gary Hall and comeback for a farewell in his home Austrália in Brisbane2032 even if it is only for relays. He is going to be 33/34 when Brisbane comes around…if the body holds, an Olympics games at home is something too good to pass. Remember Sydney with Thorpe, Klim and Hacket fireing on all cilinders? I do
Really is a shame with all the injuries and surgeries he had along the way, but it’s crazy how he’s accomplished everything on top of them
He’s right, it’s near impossible to predict how one’s body may hold up past a certain age. To ask someone in their 30’s where they may see themselves in four years is just not realizable. I think it’s important to allow these high level athletes to breathe and enjoy the (still massive) competitions along the way and to be able to view those events as Olympic-level in their own right. There’s nothing wrong with someone wanting to race with the mindset of maybe retiring mid-Olympic cycle. It will not only be beneficial for their own mentality but it will keep around the best of the best during the off years when competitions would otherwise be rather dry (erm, Pan Pacs… Read more »
That’s kind of stating the obvious tbh. No way Chalmers would make it to LA 28 with his consistent misfortune regarding injuries
I really hope his body cooperates going forward so that when he does retire it’s on his own terms.
No one retires from the game, the game retires them
What about Ian Thorpe? When he retired in 2006 at just 24 he adnitted later such an early retirement was not being able to deal with media pressure etc
whoa, theres some truth behind that
The name checks out
I feel this is true, but then I think of Maya Dirado. Did the game retire her when she left on her terms?
He’s been so successful this decade it’s easy to forget how much adversity he faced to get here. All of those surgeries and yet this is his outlook, what a swell dude
It’s great that his perspective on longevity has changed, hopefully he stays around another quad despite toxic media in AUS. A class act both in and out of the pool.