Kyle Chalmers sends major statement to Olympic Games rivals as Aussie champ blitzes 100m freestyle heats in Paris

Kyle Chalmers enjoys swimming’s biggest podium, but expects others to fall short.

Chalmers effortlessly qualified for the Olympic Games on Tuesday morning with a controlled performance in the semi-final of the men’s 100-meter freestyle.

The Australian, who won gold in this event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and silver at the Games in Tokyo three years ago, clocked 48.07 seconds.

His time in the heats was the sixth fastest, but his compatriot William Yang (48.46) did not get any further.

Chalmers, 26, a veteran swimmer, says he is still confident he can add more gold to his Olympic medal collection.

“Every race I enter, I support myself,” he said.

‘I have to have the confidence and belief in myself that I can win to be able to compete in the race, so I think I’ll take every opportunity.’

Halfway through the nine-day competition in the pool, not a single world record has been broken, but that doesn’t surprise Chalmers all that much.

The 26-year-old touched the wall with a time of 48.07 seconds in Tuesday’s heat

“People put a lot of pressure and expectations on themselves, it’s the Olympics after all,” he said.

‘A lot of people have never competed in the Olympics before, so I find the nervousness that arises when there are 17,000 people in the hall really bizarre.

“I personally think it’s great. But I think people definitely buckle under that pressure.”

Australian duo Mollie O’Callaghan, the morning after their 200m freestyle victory, and Shayna Jack both reached the semi-finals of the women’s 100m.

O’Callaghan (53.27) and Jack (53.40) finished fifth and sixth respectively in Tuesday’s heats.

Teammate Zac Stubblety-Cook started strongly in his defence of his men’s 200m breaststroke title.

Stubblety-Cook was second-fastest in the semi-finals, finishing his heat in 2:09.91 seconds, with teammate Joshua Yong (2:10.68, 14th) also progressing.

Chalmers hopes to regain the gold he won in Rio after winning silver in Tokyo

The Australian men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team of Kai Taylor, Zac Incerti, Flynn Southam and Thomas Neill secured a place in Tuesday night’s medal race, finishing fourth in the heats with a time of 7:05.63.

But Dolphins teammate Lani Pallister, who tested positive for COVID, withdrew from Tuesday’s heats of the women’s 1500-meter freestyle.

Her compatriot Moesha Johnson (16:04.02) qualified for the medal race with the fifth fastest time in the heats.

Australia’s Matt Temple failed to advance to the men’s 200m butterfly, finishing in 23rd place with a time of 1:57.39.