- Kyle Chalmers was a talented junior AFL player
- Chose to pursue a career as an Olympic swimmer
- In 2020, Geelong approached him about switching sports
Australian swimming king Kyle Chalmers has sensationally revealed he could have quit swimming and joined the Geelong Cats.
Chalmers, 26, was a promising junior footy player in South Australia but never really considered pursuing a career chasing a Sherrin.
Until 2020.
With the Tokyo Olympics postponed due to the Covid pandemic, Chalmers has been struggling with a shoulder injury.
Then out of the blue he was told that Geelong would like to have a chat.
“A buddy of mine, Scotty Darlow, spoke to me and said, ‘[Former Cats Talent ID manager] Troy Selwood actually wants to talk to you about going to Geelong,” Chalmers, a three-time Olympian, told the Howie Games podcast.
‘And I thought, this must be a joke. But I sit down and do it, like whatever, I do the Zoom call.
“And I got on Zoom and did a two-hour recruitment drive to go to Geelong as a Category B rookie, and if I wanted to do that it had to be after the 2021 Olympics or I would be too old.”
Australian swimming king Kyle Chalmers has sensationally revealed he could have quit swimming and joined the Geelong Cats
Chalmers (pictured with fiancée Ingeborg Loyning) was a promising junior footy player in South Australia, but never considered a career in chasing a Sherrin until a Zoom call in 2020
Chalmers – a three-time Olympian – now admits playing AFL footy was probably unlikely
A youthful Kyle Chalmers after winning the men’s 100m freestyle final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Chalmers – whose father Brett played AFL for Adelaide and Port Adelaide – seriously considered throwing away his goggles and swimming cap at the time.
Until his close friend Sam Jacobs – on the Crows’ books at the time – insisted that Chalmers was unlikely to ever play senior footy.
‘Sauce’ (Jacobs) actually said it to me and said, ‘Well, do you really want to go from No. 1 or No. 2 in the world in your sport to 45th on an AFL list and probably never play? a game?’
‘I said, ‘Yes, that’s actually a very good point, you’re right.’
‘So that was the moment when the dream, the bubble, burst, and I said, ‘You know what, I actually really love swimming, I love being one of the best swimmers in the world.
‘I love my lifestyle, I love the opportunities it gives me to travel the world, so stop it.’
Selwood admitted it was a bold move and is confident Chalmers made the right decision.
The 26-year-old Chalmers has also not ruled out an appearance at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.