Olympic gold-winning swimmer Kyle Chalmers plays footy for his local team – but another Australian swimmer steals the show as one of the best on the ground
- King Kyle shines in AFL game
- Matt Temple shines even brighter
- However, team is defeated
Olympic gold medal swimmer Kyle Chalmers has swapped the pool for the footy oval in an Aussie Rules match alongside friend and fellow Australian swimmer Matthew Temple.
The star swimmers played for the Lincoln South Football Club in Chalmers’ hometown of Port Lincoln, South Australia, on Saturday.
The gold-medal Olympian played with the team until 2011, before leaving the sport to pursue swimming professionally.
Chalmers (left) was dwarfed by fellow swimmer Matt Temple (right, both pictured wearing the Lincoln South club mascot) who was one of the best on the ground for the Eagles
The addition of Chalmers (19) and Temple (17) was not enough for the South Australian Football Club as they went 63-36 to Marble Range
Both swimmers wore the club’s blue and gold uniform and posed with the team’s mascot before playing on the club’s B team against Marble Range at Centenary Oval.
His mother, Jodie Chalmers, cheered him on, plus enthusiastic fans eager for Chalmers’ autograph.
Unfortunately for the star-studded duo, Lincoln South fell to Marble Range 63 to 36, but Temple got a nod as one of the reserve team’s best on the field.
Chalmers’ performance comes just a week after winning the top prize at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships for his performance in the 100m freestyle.
The day before his competition, Chalmers added to his tattoo collection featuring a black tuna design by local Port Lincoln artist Gregos Lawrence.
Fans of the Olympic gold-winning swimmer lined up for autographs after the competition
Chalmers played for his former club just a week after his stunning 100m freestyle win at the World Aquatics Championships in Japan
Temple (left) won gold in the men’s 50-meter freestyle relay at the World Short Course Championships with Chalmers (right) in 2022
Last year, the 25-year-old shocked the sporting world after confessing that he was on the verge of retiring from the sport following his highly publicized split from fellow swimmer Emma McKeon.
The media spotlight intensified after it was revealed that McKeon was dating pop star turned swimmer, Cody Simpson.
Chalmers spoke on the Soda Room podcast in October about rumors of a “feud” between McKeon or Simpson, but said the controversy had led him to consider a career change.
This was shortly after all three swimmers competed side by side at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
“I wanted to say, now I’m done – I’ll stay in Port Lincoln now and play country footy,” he said.
“We just broke the Commonwealth record and we won gold… and they’re just getting started,” he continued.
“It was all complete nonsense, this so-called feud.
“There was no feud at all.”