Kyle Chalmers chasing rare butterfly-freestyle double at the NSW State Open Championships in Sydney

FLYING START: The opening heats of the three-day NSW State Open Championships are underway at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. Photo Courtesy Homepix Photography.

Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers (Marion) may well be in a heavy block of training – but you would not have thought so watching him in the prelims of today’s opening heats session of the NSW Swimming Championships at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.

Kyle Chalmers on the fly in Sydney today. Photo Courtesy: Homepix Photography.

In the space of less than an hour the 21-year-old produced a personal best and fastest time of the day of 1:58.85 in the 200m butterfly – an event that is some what foreign to the Olympic 100m freestyle champion – before producing an eye-catching 48.27 in his pet event.

Chalmers said he is doing everything he can “to swim as fast as I can”, despite the distraction of the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Swimming is going really well which is great…we are in an extremely hard training block and I did the 200m butterfly this morning directly before the 100m freestyle so I could have another hit out race wise, but also be fatigued before I had my 100m freestyle so I could see just how fast I can swim under fatigue,” said Chalmers.

“Times don’t worry me too much at this time of the year but it is nice looking up and seeing 48.27 and knowing how hard the training block I’m in and obviously knowing I had the 200m butterfly earlier, which is probably the hardest event I’ve ever done, there is no fun in that to be honest.

“But I’ll swim both finals tonight and like I said my thought process is just being confident in what I’m doing and knowing that what am I doing works.

“Four years ago no one was looking at me and I was able to fly under the radar but now I’m actually enjoying the pressure and enjoying people knowing who I am and kind of building up that rivalry with (Caeleb) Dressel

“It’s been good and it motivates me on a daily basis..I think if I didn’t have that then I probably wouldn’t still be swimming.

“I think it would have been easy to get to the top as an 18 year-old and think about ‘what’s next?’ but having that pressure and expectation and rivalry now has been very beneficial l for me and I think it’s just confidence really.

“You’ve just got to have confidence you can do it. If there is any doubt in your mind it’s not going to happen for you.

“I just look at UFC fighters and I know every time they go into the ring they have no doubt in their mind they are going to win and I think a lot of athletes could take a leaf out of their book…you’ve just got to back your self in no matter what…”

Eyes on the prize. Cate Campbell says: “if the Olympics are on I will be there….” Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)

Cate Campbell (Knox Pymble) was also in the water this morning qualifying third fastest for tonight’s 100m freestyle in 54.06, with her fellow Gwangju relay gold medallists Madison Wilson (Marion) 53.67 and Emma McKeon (Griffith University) 53.88 ahead of her with Bronte Campbell (Knox Pymble) fifth on 55.85 and Brianna Throssell (UWA West Coast) sixth on 55.92.

In answering a question following the withdrawal of the Dean Boxall St Peters Western Squad from the meet after several members of the group had fallen ill, Campbell said it was no doubt best for them to stay at home as a precautionary measure.

Saying: “My best preparation for the Olympics is to be here to be racing for as long as these meets are on and I’m taking every precaution outside the swimming pool and I’m doing everything I can in the pool to be ready because I don’t want to get to the Olympics and think oh…I thought this was going to be cancelled…if the Olympics are on I will be there….”

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Tony Murphy

4 years ago

are the championships on Tele?