Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor believes freestyle great Kyle Chalmers grows a foot taller in the green and gold after his relay heroics launched the Aussies onto the podium and set up a potential medal charge in the 100m Freestyle.
Kyle, the Rio Olympic champion and Tokyo silver medallist, had endured a series of injuries and setbacks ahead of Australia’s Olympic trials and he admitted he wasn’t sure about his form heading into Paris.
That all changed on Day One at La Défense Arena with the 26-year-old South Australian splitting 46.59s to power the Australian 4x100m Freestyle Relay to the silver medal. It was the second fastest relay split of his career, which is no mean feat given his history of eye-popping anchor legs.
Kyle was the ultimate team man and always stepped up when he pulled on the Australian uniform, according to the head coach.
“When we came here, on paper, we weren’t supposed to be on the podium for that relay,” Rohan said.
“It was about those boys giving him the chance to do what he does best. I mean 46.5s come on. Go and look at relay splits throughout history and he just delivers.
“He just makes everyone more confident. I said to him yesterday ‘I think you’ve grown a foot’. He just seems taller to me. When he comes into this environment, that’s just what he does and it’s fantastic to see.”
The Dolphins have a new wave of young talent but a generation of established leaders who Rohan said all played a role in elevating performance across the board.
“We have a lot of those types of athletes. We have Emma (McKeon), she’s a legend, we have Mollie (O’Callaghan), Kaylee (McKeown). You go through the list. They are all fantastic and all bring confidence to each other and care deeply for each other, which is great.”
Kyle’s early swims showed he is dialled in at the Paris meet and could be a major player in the blue-riband 100m Freestyle, which boasts a field that includes the two most-recent world record holders David Popovici (ROM) and Pan Zhanle (CHN).
“If he gets in the final, I always give him a chance. He’s a competitive beast,” Rohan said.
