Sydney Sprints: Kyle Chalmers Clocks 1:40.98 In Powerhouse World Short Course Championship 200m Freestyle Trial

POWERHOUSE: Kyle Chalmers swings into action at the Sydney Sprints. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

Sydney Sprints: Kyle Chalmers Clocks 1:40.98 In Powerhouse World Short Course Championship 200m Freestyle Trial

Kyle Chalmers has set the stage for the return of Australia’s first World Championship swim meet in 15 years with a powerhouse 200m freestyle performance on the opening night of the Sydney Sprints and Australian Short Course Championships.

The 23-year-old Olympic and now Commonwealth Games champion over 100m freestyle clocked one of the fastest times in the world over the past 12 months with his 1.40.98 (48.91) at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.

IN FULL CRY: Kyle Chalmers in the fast lane in the men’s 200m freestyle. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

The time – his second fastest ever behind his 2021 personal best of 1:40.80 – qualifies Chalmers to lead the Dolphins campaign into the 2022 Fina World Short Course Championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in December.

It will be the first time a World Championship meet has been swum in Australia since Melbourne staged the Fina World Championships (50m) in 2007 and the fourth World title meet after Perth first staged the Long Course Worlds in 1991 and 1998.

Chalmers led all the way clocking 10.82, 23.27, 48.91 and 1:14.80 for his 1:40.89 – the second fastest time behind South African wunderkind Matthew Sates 1:40.65 and Chalmers own 1:40.80 both swum in the 2021 World Cup Series.

US pair Luke Hobson (1:41.69) and Grant House (1:42.50) kept Chalmers honest down the final two laps as they continued their outstanding personal best form from the Duel In The Pool.

With the 50 and 100m freestyles to come, Chalmers has put his hand up for one of the most exciting match-ups in world swimming with the expected arrival down under of Romanian teenage sensation David Popovici and US marvel Caeleb Dressel.

Meanwhile visiting swimmers Beata Nelson (USA) and Mark Nikolaev (Russia) took out the first two events on the program – the women’s and men’s 100m backstroke. Beata Nelson

Nelson, one off the stars of the USA’s Duel In The Pool win over Australia on Sunday, used all of her underwater skills to leave Australia’s trio of stars Kaylee McKeown (Griffith University), Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western) and Minna Atherton (Bond) in her wake.

The 23-year-old from Wisconsin clocked a sizzling personal best of 55.74 (27.05), rocketing into the World’s Top 15 times in history.

And there were World Championship team qualifying times for Australian placegetters, McKeown (55.81) just outside her best and a personal best for O’Callaghan (56.02) – well under the QT of 58.08 with two world class swims.

World record holder Atherton clocked 56.95 for fourth.

BEST FORM: Bradley Woodward produced his best in the 100m backstroke final. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

Nikolaev showed why he is regarded as one of the best underwater exponents in world swimming, clocking 49.73 (23.81) to score a comfortable win over Australian Commonwealth Games silver medallist Bradley Woodward (Mingara, NSW) with a World Championship qualifier and a personal best time of 51.10.

Olympic bronze medallist Isaac Cooper’s 51.42 for third, was a personal best but just outside the 51.30 required for Australian team selection.

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