Aussie Freestyle Sprint King Kyle Chalmers Now Chasing Butterfly Gold In LA in 28
Australia’s 100m freestyle sprint king and 2016 Olympic gold medallist Kyle Chalmers will now be chasing gold in another event at the LA28 Games after rocketing to the top of the 50m butterfly world rankings.
Chalmers blasted out a personal best time of 22.77 on a sizzling night two of the Australian Open Championships on the Gold Coast, 24 hours after another impressive 100m freestyle victory.
The 50 fly win edging him 0.01 ahead of reigning world champion, Frenchman Max Grousset’s best 2026 time of 22.78 set last month at the Lausanne Swim Cup in Switzerland.
FLYING TO LA28: Kyle Chalmers wins 50 fly 2026 Australian Open Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
The 27-year-old Chalmers revealing one of the newest events on the LA28 program is now squarely in his sights after another time that makes the triple Olympic 100m freestyle medallist and 2016 Rio champion, very competitive on the world stage in another event.
His 22.77 is the second fastest time ever by an Australian – and just 0.04 outside Matt Targett’s 2009 “Supersuit” Australian record of 22.73 set at the 2009 World’s in Rome.
Chalmers excited to turn the clock back to 2014 when he won his first ever Open Nationals medal in the 50m butterfly at just 15, in a time of 24.03.
Going on to win one of four gold medals at the Oceania Championships in Auckland – launching a remarkable international career – just two years before winning his Olympic gold.
Chalmers saying after the race tonight that the one thing that excites him in swimming is doing a personal best time after 11 years on the Australian Dolphins National team.
“It’s about swimming pbs and the 50m butterfly is the event that I first medalled in, back in 2014 and so to have this event in the 2032 Olympics is exciting,” said Chalmers, adding the 50m fly win to his gold medal in last night’s 100m freestyle.
“I think I have a body that is best suited to butterfly so to turn the clock back to when I first started is amazing. I am really looking forward to it….”
And there was another outstanding swim from Paris Olympian and world championship silver medallist Lani Pallisterwho added the 400m freestyle to her 800m from night one.
Again leading from the outset in typical Pallister fashion – clocking her second fastest time ever and fastest in season time of 3:59.36 (27.67, 57.40, 1:27.79, 1:58.15, 2:28.82, 2:59.93) – improving her 4.00.61 from the China Open.
The time leap-frogging her above Katie Ledecky’s second fastest time for 2026 of 4:00.54 – behind world record holder Summer McIntosh’s best 2026-time of 3:55.37.
RANKINGS MOVER: Lani Pallister after winning the 400m freestyle. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
With New Zealand’s 2024 world champion Erika Fairweather trying to hang on to Pallister as long as she could, producing a strong swim, clocking 4:02.09, with Brazilian Maria Costa third in 4:03.41.
Pallister saying she couldn’t be happier, but her plans are to get bigger, faster and stronger.
“I was 4:00.61 in China two weeks ago and I had a pretty good swim last night (in the 800m) but I’m happy with a 3:59 in-season – that’s my second fastest time ever -just behind what I swam at World’s in Singapore.,” said Pallister.
“I’m really happy with my progression this season and I’m looking forward to Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs, it will be a big year.
“Dean (Boxall) has set the bar pretty high for me and all the staff at St Peters Western it’s been fun working with them finding different race plans and different strategies and how to improve in training.
“I’m a very hard task master and whenever I achieve something I move the goalposts any way…trying to be bigger, better and stronger and that’s what I’ve done over the last 18 months.”
In other events:
In-form Paris Olympian Sam Short (Rackley, QLD) continued on his merry way, adding the 800m freestyle to his opening night 400m win and in emphatic fashion as he attacked the 16 laps of the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre as only Short can.
Storming home in a time of 7:41.04 (26.54, 54.92, 1:52.46, 3:48.96, 4:47.35, 5:45.79, 6:44.19) narrowly outside his season’s best, 7:40.98 – the top time in the world this year.
(The same pool that saw Short smash the great Kieren Perkins then 30-year-old Australian 17-years age record of 7:52.93 in 2021 – a time which had been set during the 1500m freestyle final at the 1991 World Championships – with Short clocking of 7:52.18.)
SMILE TIME: Shayna Jack proudly christens her move to WAIS by winning the women’s 50m freestyle. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
And in world champion Meg Harris’ absence, it was a powerful dive to touch win in the 50m freestyle by Shayna Jack (St Peters Western, QLD) in 24.60 – the Paris finalist wearing the distinctive WAIS cap, announcing her move to Western Australia.
(Harris, just back from high altitude training in Flagstaff Arizona withdrew from the heats of the 50 and 400m freestyle earlier in the day after feeling off colour).
Jack beating home Paris Olympian Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 24.84 and last night’s 100m winner Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) 24.89.
Kaylee McKeown (USC Spartans, QLD) 58.06 (28.46) added the women’s 100m backstroke to her 200m win, swimming away from O’Callaghan 58.98 and St Peters Western teammate, Hannah Fredericks 1:00.19.
And Nunawading Victoria’s resident New Zealander Lewis Clareburt (1:45.57) gate-crashed the party, over-powering Aussie boys Ed Sommerville (Brisbane Grammar) 1:46.08, Kai Taylor (St Peters Western) 1:46.67 and Will Petric (Nunawading) 1:47.21 in an exciting 200m final.
Later producing another superb finish to take out the 200IM in 1:58.42 from Nunawading training partner Petric (1:59.22) and Carlile’s dual Olympian Se-Bom Lee (2:00.82).
Clareburt leading through the fly in 25.84, Lee taking over in the backstroke in 56.10, before Clareburt stole the lead back at the breaststroke turn (1:30.89) and motored home in the freestyle to clinch an impressive double.
While in the race of the night in the men’s 100m breaststroke, Gold Coast local Gideon Burnes (Bond, QLD) 1:00.66 out-touched 200m winner Bailey Lello (St Peters Western) 1:00.67, Zac Stubblety-Cook(Griffith University) 1:00.86 and Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 1.00.97, who led at the turn in 27.84 – just 0.31 separating the first four.
POWERHOUSE: Gideon Burnes has muscled his way to victory in the men’s 100m breaststroke final. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Burnes revealing after the race that he almost withdrew from the event after experiencing problems with his adductor muscles.
Back-to-back specialist Alex Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD) defended her 100m butterfly title in 57.21 (26.24) to snatch the win over fellow Paris Olympian Lizzie Dekkers (St Peters Western) and Lily Price(Rackley) 58.70 – after also racing the 50m freestyle final (fourth in 25.33) earlier in the night.
It came after her win on night one in the 50m butterfly and her 5th in the 100m freestyle in 53.97.
The women’s 200m breaststroke saw Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) take the win in 2:24.19, from a fast-finishing 17-year-old Sienna Toohey (Albury, NSW) 2:26.43 with Paris Olympian Ella Ramsay (Griffith University, QLD) third in 2:26.81.