Kyle Chalmers Hit With Back Spasms Leading Up To Aussie Olympic Trials (Day 4 Quotes)
By Retta Race on SwimSwam
2024 AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS
Monday, June 10th – Saturday, June 15th
Brisbane Aquatic Center – Brisbane, Australia
Prelims at 11am local/9pm previous day ET; Finals at 7:30pm local/5:30am ET
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Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Recap
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Day 4 of the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials once again brought the heat, with the likes of Kyle Chalmers, Kaylee McKeown and Ariarne Titmus back in the pool.
For 25-year-old freestyle ace Chalmers, he punched a winning effort of 47.75 to qualify for the men’s 100m sprint, adding his name to his 3rd Aussie Olympic roster. However, he was quicker at April’s Open Championships, putting up a time there of 47.63.
Chalmers has had his share of adversity in the past, including overcoming shoulder surgery and multiple heart surgeries. This time around, the now-Ash Delaney-trained superstar was dealing with bulging discs and spasms leading up these all-important Trials.
“I’ve been doing some landscape laboring up on the Sunny Coast and I decided I wouldn’t go to work on the Friday and I’d rest for Trials and kind of just spent a day laying on the couch which my body’s clearly not used to, and got pretty stiff,” Chalmers told Swimming Australia.
“And then Saturday morning I tried to do a dive and it just all spasm and locked up so I saw physios and doctors and the best thing I could do was to get four cortisone in my lower back and try to get moving again. A really hard thing to go through so close to trials, it makes you change your stroke completely.
“I have got bulging discs in my back and a bit of a degenerative spine … it just all spasmed and locked up,” he said.
“I have put on a pretty brave face.”
Kaylee McKeown, Women’s 200m Back Gold Medalist
“To be honest with you, I’m just happy to still be swimming around that time [2:03.30], not many people in the world are doing that at the moment.
“You’re putting your heart on the line, you’ve done months worth of hard training … and you just want to do yourself proud.
“And with that comes nerves unfortunately.
“I just want to enjoy this Olympics, last time I was probably a bit too young to enjoy it. So this time around, I’m just looking to go there and put my best foot forward.”
Callum Simpson – S8 Men 100m Freestyle Multi Class
“I’m feeling very pumped, very pumped for that swim… an excellent result so I’m very happy with it.
“There’s room for improvement that I reckon I can work on for Paris. I’m looking forward to seeing what Paris holds for me.”
William Petric, Men’s 200m IM Gold Medalist
“Yeah, it’s annoying [missing the qualifying time] but you know Australia has always had tremendous success overseas and the QT must have something to do with it. I don’t want to go there and not make a final, I want to go make a final so hitting that QT instills that confidence I can make finals overseas.”
Rachel Watson, S3 Women’s 100m Freestyle Multi Class
“I’m really excited, it gives me a lot of confidence going into Paris. The 100 free is the first time I’ve had this event on the Paralympic program so I’m really excited to have another event that I hope to do well in.”
Ariane Titmus , Women’s 800m Free Gold Medalist
“I just really lost my legs. In the form that I’m in, I truly thought I had a chance to swim in a great 800 and doing a PB. It’s just something that it’s an event and it’s really hard to pace well and get right. I know I’m better than that, but at least I get the chance to do it again at the Olympics.
“At the end of the day, I did my job this week, I’ve got all the races I want to perform in Paris.”
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