SWIMMING: With the world at his very large feet, youth swimming sensation Kyle Chalmers is ready to dive head first into an Olympic career.

The 15-year-old was selected as part of the eight-member Australian swim team to head to the second summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China this year.

“This event is the pinnacle of junior swimming and it is leading me in the right direction to fulfilling my dream of competing at the 2016 Olympic Games,” the South Australian said.

The young gun will be looking to compete in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle events in Nanjing but is hoping to aim a little higher.

“I believe that my strongest stroke is Freestyle, however I do a little bit of butterfly and backstroke here and there,” the teenager said.

“In Nanjing I’m hoping to compete in the 50, 100, 200 freestyle and the 100 Butterfly if they have a 50 butterfly I would also like to have a crack at that as well.”

Having just won another gold medal in the 100m freestyle at the Oceania Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, Chalmers is proving a force to be reckoned with.

The young star has blown the swimming community out of the water this year winning a surprising silver medal in the 50m butterfly at the Swimming Championships in Brisbane and then taking a total of four Australian age titles and two national age group records at the Age Championships in Sydney.

Chalmers even broke the boy’s 15 years 100m freestyle record by previously held by Ian Thorpe with an impressive time of 49.68.

While he is looking to improve on his results in China, the Marion Swimming Club athlete is mostly excited for the experience.

“At the YOG I am just hoping to swim my best and swim personal best times, if I was lucky enough to receive a medal for doing a PB it would be a dream come true,” he said.

“I am most looking forward to staying in an Olympic Village and getting to know athletes from all over the world, competing against the best and I am also looking forward to going shopping in China - that will be awesome.”

Despite being only young, it would seem Chalmers’ career path is set in stone but the gun swimmer is also a cracking AFL player.

“I have been swimming for six years and I feel that I’m still unsure what my future holds,” Chalmers said.

“At this point in time swimming is definitely the main goal [but] I also love to play Aussie Rules Football and I know that one day I will have to choose between the sports.”

AFL runs in Chalmers’ blood, his dad Brett having played professionally for Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power.

But even Dad knows what a bright future his son has as a swimmer.

“Both Jodie (Kyle’s mother) and I were so proud of Kyle for making the Youth Olympics Team at such a young age, to be chosen as one of four male swimmers was an amazing achievement,” Mr Chalmers said.

“I would love for Kyle to continue on with his swimming, he has achieved so much in this sport and it would be sad for him to leave it, but we would support him with what he chose to pursue.” 

As for now Chalmers is happy combining the two sports.

“At the moment I’m doing five swimming sessions along with a couple of football trainings and then playing a game of football on a Saturday however I think I may have to add one more water session in to my training program leading into the Games.”

With Rio only around the corner, young Chalmers is well aware of the tough road ahead of him to succeed his ultimate Olympic dream.

“My goal is to be the best that I can possibly be [in swimming], this will be hard and mean that I have to put in the effort and train a lot more,” he said.

“I feel that the higher you go up in the sport the easier it will be to stay motivated.”

While he is very proud of his achievements so far, his love and passion for swimming is based on much simpler reasons.

“When you are successful in the sport it makes you feel very good about yourself,” the young star admits.

“[But] Racing is definitely the best part [of swimming]. I love walking out of marshalling onto pool deck and looking into the crowd and hearing them cheer very loudly.”

When Chalmers competes at the YOG from 16-28 August he is sure to have all of Australia cheering for him.

Chalmers will compete on Days 3-6 of the Games at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Natatorium.

Laura Judd

olympics.com.au

@AUSOlympicTeam