Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers eyes butterfly at the LA Games
Olympic champion freestyle swimmer Kyle Chalmers has revealed he intends to race in the 50m butterfly in the 2028 LA Olympics after winning the national trials final in Adelaide ahead of the World Championships.
An Olympic gold and silver medallist in the 100m freestyle, Chalmers swam a 22.89 second time to win the final and add to what had been a successful week.
He said butterfly was the stroke he first wanted to swim as a young member of the Dolphins.
'I think the 50 fly will definitely be part of the LA program,' Chalmers said.
'I've achieved everything the 100 freestyle has to offer so it is really nice to have a different goal to think about.
'In 2014 I finished second at trials and it would've been the first team I qualified for if they were taking 50 swimmers back then.
'I've always wanted to swim butterfly and it would be nice to go back to the stroke I started swimming and probably even my strongest stroke.'
Chalmers has put significant work into his 50m freestyle speed under new coach Shaun Curtis in an attempt to make his 100m race faster after finishing with a silver medal in the event at Paris.
While he has not yet trained butterfly, he was now confident he could pursue the stroke under new staff and amid newfound physical strength.
'This swim was so good for my confidence but my body is now allowing me to do that - it's a demanding stroke to train but my shoulders and the rest of my body are feeling really good right now.
'It's incredible to see the work paying off and it's so special to have a coach like Shaun Curtis and physiologist like Jamie Stanley who believe in me so much, probably more than I believe in myself.
'To be honest, after Paris, seeing guys go 46 or 46.4 (in the 100 freestyle), I struggled to believe I'd be able to do that but having coaches who truly believe I'm capable and are sacrificing their time to be at my training, I'm just trying to make them as proud as I can and give back to them they have a lot of faith in me.'
Superstar 50m freestyle swimmer Cam McEvoy also competed in the trials final but was disqualified for moving on the starting blocks.
He decided not to protest but will still compete individually in the 50m freestyle at the World Championships in Singapore next month.
HARRIS REFINDS LOVE FOR SWIMMING
Olympic gold medallist Meg Harris said she was refinding her love and motivation for swimming in 2025 after an impressive win in the 50m freestyle final during the Australian trials.
The 23-year-old, who won a gold in the Paris Olympics 4x100m medley relay and silver in the 50m freestyle, clocked a strong 24.17 second time in Adelaide to claim the final ahead of next month's World Championships in Singapore.
Despite also being a standout 100m swimmer, Harris said working on her 50m swim had been part of her process of finding motivation for the sport after the post-Olympic come down.
'I'm pretty happy, I've been focusing on that this year,' Harris said of her time.
'I definitely would have liked to get under 24 seconds but I can't be happier with the swim - I'm on the team so it's on to the World Champs now.
'I definitely love the 100 but this year I was focusing on finding love and motivation for the sport again and the little things I enjoy about it.
'One of those was that I did so well in the 50 last year so I wanted to see if I had any potential in that and focus on that.'
Harris was thrilled with her 50m race during the Paris Olympics and wanted to compete in that event again in LA 2028, along with the 100m freestyle.
She said it was her experience in Paris which kept her motivated ahead of the World Championships and LA further down the track.
'Honestly, sometimes I don't think about it (Paris) but then it comes in waves and shocks me but I loved that race and I had so much fun and just enjoyed it.
'It was incredible, the whole experience, not just the 50m swim.
'Finding motivation again, coming off of such a high in Tokyo I didn't experience a low like I did after Paris, but I just needed to figure out what's next and figure out a different way to approach the sport.
'I love swimming, I love racing…going into LA I want to do really well in the 100 but I also now need to focus on how I'm going to get there and working on my 50 speed is important.'
Olivia Wunsch and Alex Perkins tied for second place in the trials final, each finishing with a 24.70 qualified time for the World Championships.
Both already in the team for Singapore, they said they will discuss their schedules with their coaches.
Perkins, who is predominantly a butterfly swimmer, said she was surprised by her result.
'I wasn't expecting that so I need to go back and talk to my coach, 50 free wasn't really on the cards,' she said.
'It was a lot of fun, we don't really know what will be decided yet but we'll suss it out with the team.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
4 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Wayne: 'Rain should have come earlier'
NRL: South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett reacted to the mid-game weather delay and his sides comeback against the Bulldogs.
News.com.au
4 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Cronk: Katoa 'among the BEST'
NRL: Cooper Cronk has declared Isaiya Katoa as one of the best halves in the NRL after the Dolphins scored over 160 points in their last three games.
News.com.au
13 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Screwed themselves': Aussie crisis laid bare as major Test shake-up looms
As Australia licks its wounds from an embarrassing five-wicket World Test Championship final defeat at the hands of South Africa, changes are already being discussed both internally and externally. But there isn't long for Australian selectors to get their ducks in a row, with the next two-year Test cricket cycle beginning later this month with a three-Test series against the West Indies. There are many things for selectors to mull over, such as who should open the batting, and if it is worth bringing in a second specialist tweaker such as Matt Kuhnemann, with subcontinental conditions usually favouring the tweakers. But what does not appear to have changed is the selectors' stubbornness in selecting the best six Australian batsmen irrespective of where they usually bat, their age or whether or not they are in form. However, sooner rather than later they will need to look beyond just a single Test series as the reality is they have somewhat screwed themselves by sticking solid with the same group of veterans. The reality is the Australian squad is ageing out and the next generation has been badly devoid of opportunities. The two youngsters blooded last summer, Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas were both dropped despite the former being played in an unfamiliar role as opener and the latter being overlooked for non-openers Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne. That was despite the fact he rattled the world's best bowler in the world Jasprit Bumrah and clearly has immense raw untapped ability. Make that make sense. Aussie fans have been blessed with a strong generation of cricketers, which has resulted in the side taking out major tournament after major tournament until now. The WTC final defeat will be a tough pill to swallow but for Aussie fans, it could be about to get much worse, with years of selection decisions set to come back to bite in the long run. In the World Test Championship, Cam Green was the only Aussie under the age of 30 in the team. And when injuries have presented selectors with the chance to blood youth, instead they routinely turn to the likes of Scott Boland and Michael Neser and others deep into their 30s. It has seen many other fast bowlers come and go as nothing more than Sheffield Shield journeymen and it is even more grim for the batsman. That is why the likes of Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and before them David Warner were almost undroppable. Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw have all come and gone, dropped at the first sign of struggle, while others hold onto their spots regardless of their output. The reality is that come the next WTC final, it would be fair to assume half of the Australian side that lined up this week will be retired, so major changes need to happen sooner rather than later. Who should Australia select for the West Indies series? Let's start with the openers. It's time to go Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja. Khawaja returned scores of 0 and 6 in the WTC final and has had a very grim few years with the bat, barring one series against Sri Lanka. At 38 years of age, his time has come and gone and luckily for Australia, there is a ready-made replacement in Konstas. The teenager has a lot of work to do granted but there is no shortage of raw talent and competitiveness ready to be moulded into a potentially generational batsman. While fellow WTC final opener Labuschagne is badly out of touch and a stint back in Sheffield Shield could do him the world of good. He is averaging just 25.63 in Tests during the 2024/25 season and looked devoid of all confidence against South Africa. In his place, I would go with Josh Inglis. His rapid-fire century on Test debut in Sri Lanka earlier this year reinforced his credentials as a red ball player and is someone who Australia needs to find a spot for. So why not at opener? Steve Smith is a No. 3 whether he likes it or not. That move would also allow for Cam Green to slot in at his preferred four. However, it is worth noting Smith dislocated his finger in the loss to the Proteas. If he isn't fit I could advocate for Nathan McSweeney to come in. At 26 years old, the batsman's best years are ahead of him and after two strong Sheffield Shield seasons he deserves a proper crack in the Test fold, where he isn't thrown to the wolves facing the new ball. From there I would keep it fairly similar to the side who were beaten by South Africa with Travis Head, Beau Webster and Alex Carey rounding out the middle order. From there, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are all nearly undroppable as is Nathan Lyon. But I could entertain a rotation of one pace bowler getting a rest so tweaker Matt Kuhnemann could make up a two-pronged spin attack with Lyon. Pat Cummins suggests changes are on the cards With the 2027 WTC cycle kicking off when Australia travel to the West Indies, Australian skipper Cummins hinted that changes could be on the cards. 'We've got a couple of weeks before the first Test in the Windies, so we'll sit down and have a bit of a think after we digest this game,' he said. 'But for me, I think a new WTC cycle in some ways does feel like a bit of a reset. 'It's probably more for the selectors and for me to sit down and map it ahead.' Cummins also suggested the likes of Konstas and Inglis could find themselves in the team come the first Test against the Windies. 'Coming to this match, you've got guys like Sam Konstas and Scotty Boland and Josh Inglis, all those guys were right on the fringes,' he said. 'So I think again, after this Test match, everyone gets thrown back into the conversation.' Australia's three-Test series against West Indies in Barbados kicks off on June 25. Predicted Australian XI to face the West Indies 1. Sam Konstas 2. Josh Inglis 3. Steve Smith (or Nathan McSweeney) 4. Cam Green 5. Travis Head 6. Beau Webster 7. Alex Carey 8. Pat Cummins 9. Mitchell Starc 10. Nathan Lyon 11. Josh Hazlewood
