Kyle Chalmers reveals how working as a tradie has helped him get over ‘pool love triangle’ drama with Cody Simpson and Emma McKeon
Kyle Chalmers reveals how working as a tradie helped him overcome the ‘pool love triangle’ drama
- Kyle Chalmers says he has rediscovered his love of swimming in a unique way
- The 24-year-old has taken on construction work outside the pool
- Last year he got stuck in the media storm ‘love triangle’
Kyle Chalmers has revealed how time spent on a construction site helped him move forward after the ‘love triangle’ drama that followed him last year.
Chalmers nearly retired from swimming in 2022 after his relationship with fellow swimmers Cody Simpson and Emma McKeon came under scrutiny.
The freestyle champ used to date McKeon, who is now in a relationship with Simpson.
The 24-year-old’s world championship backflip – in which he reversed his decision to skip Budapest last year, thus denying Simpson a place on the team – resulted in accusations that his call was not based purely on swimming.
The story didn’t go away during the Commonwealth Games, where all three swimmers competed for Australia in Birmingham, and Chalmers says he spent the hours leading up to his 100m freestyle crying in his hotel room.
Kyle Chalmers says he has rediscovered his love of swimming thanks to a new job
Chalmers has worked on a construction site as a tradie and says he loves it
But now he insists he’s in a great place mentally, and attributes that transformation to time on the tool while away from the pool.
“I think I’ve found myself again,” he told News Corp.
“I have a lot of fun in the pool, but have a lot more fun outside the pool, which contributes greatly to my success.
“It has made me really enjoy and love the sport again and probably rediscovered my passion and the reason why I do it.
‘I’ve always been asked what are you going to do after swimming? That’s something I’ve kind of struggled with in the past, not knowing where I’m going.
“But this year I just started working on a construction site for a few days a week, only in construction. And I think I’m just making some new friends outside of the pool.
Chalmers starred in a ‘love triangle’ drama with Cody Simpson (R) and Emma McKeon (L)
“I’ve never worked a day in my life except swimming, which I love because my job is the best gig in the world, but at some point I’m going to have to transition to the real world.
“Being able to put myself in that world where I’m at the bottom of the ranks in an industry that I love and am passionate about.
“There’s nothing I love more than going to work and I think it makes me a lot happier in the pool.”