Kyle Chalmers kick starts his Olympic 100m freestyle defence in 47.99

Kyle Chlamers AUS, 100m Freestyle Final, 18th FINA World Swimming Championships 2019, 25 July 2019, Gwangju South Korea. Pic by Delly Carr/Swimming Australia. Pic credit requested and mandatory for free editorial usage. THANK YOU.

FLYING START: Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers has started his Olympic defence in fine style.

Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers has kick started his Olympic defence in style– winning his specialist 100m freestyle in the fastest time of the year so far – 47.99 at the South Australian State Championships tonight.

PUMPED: Kyle Chalmers all smiles. Photo: Courtesy ISL.

The year maybe only three weeks old but the 21-year-old “Big Tuna” from Port Lincoln has set the early pace in the countdown to this year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Out in 23.05, Chalmers, who has already swum the 200m butterfly, 400m freestyle and a PB last night in the 50m butterfly, showed all his power and finesse in the most impressive swim of the night.

He served notice in the morning preliminaries with his 48.50 and there was an air of expectation in the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre – and Chalmers delivered in spades.

His time topped Beijing Fina Champions winner Vladimir Morozov’s (RUS) who won in 48.32.

The women’s 200m freestyle saw Marion’s Madi Wilson clock the fastest time of the night with her impressive 1:57.09 with USC Spartans trio Mikkayla Sheridan (1:58.66), 100/200m backstroke star Kaylee McKeown adding another string her bow in 1:58.82 and Rio Olympian Leah Neale (1:59.88).

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