‘I'm not going to slam swimmers': Chalmers' surprising response to Magnussen's Enhanced Games quest
Enhanced Games boss Aron D'Souza has offered to pay the legal fees of swimmers who want to challenge World Aquatics' ruling.
World Aquatics will pay swimmers US $20,000 (AUD $30,000) for each gold medal at next month's world championships in Singapore. There is also a world record bonus of US $30,000 (AUD $46,200). The total swimming prize pool is $4.2 million.
The Enhanced Games will pay US $250,000 for each gold medal, plus a US $1 million bonus for world records in either the 50m freestyle or 100m sprint.
'I think it'd be pretty enticing for quite a lot of athletes,' Chalmers said.
'I think that swimmers have been underpaid for a very long time at the big competitions. I've never thought about it a huge amount because you do it for the love of swimming … there's not a lot of money to be made in it.
'Look at the guy that did break the world record and his wife coming out and saying he's been to four Olympics, been in two Olympic finals, been in the world championship final consistently … [the fact] he goes from making $5000 a year to a million in one race is incredible.
'I really hope that there is a shift and that we are able to get a little bit more prize money for what we do. It's threatening World Aquatics a little bit.
'That's why they've come out and said that they're banning swimmers, which yeah, fair enough. But also, those swimmers have come out and announced their retirement.'
Australian head coach Rohan Taylor added: 'I'm just focused on this team ... and providing the right environment for them; a safe, clean sport. That's what we're about. I'm not really paying attention [to it].'
Chalmers has been in great form since taking 12 weeks off after the Olympics, clocking a 100m freestyle time of 47.27 seconds at the Bergen Swim Festival in Norway in April. It was faster than his silver medal-winning performance in Paris (47.48).
The 26-year-old is eyeing off a fourth Olympics in LA in 2028 and preparing for the birth of his first child later this year.
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'It was a massive shock for me [the time of 47.27]. I'm pretty confident that I'm swimming fast,' said Chalmers, who won 100m freestyle gold at the 2023 world championships. 'This could be the year, which is really exciting.
'Our goal is to be at the Olympics in 2028 together and have our daughter in the stands watching us.
'I truly believe it's achievable. If I didn't believe it was possible, I would have retired. I'm at nine Olympic medals. It would be amazing to get to 10.'
Taylor said of Chalmers' swim: 'It made my day when I saw that. I was very happy for him.'
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It's mind boggling: Ian Thorpe blown away by upset win
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Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
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The Age
3 hours ago
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‘It's a huge upset': Beating the USA in a relay is sweet. Australia's underdog swimmers just did it twice in 15 minutes
There were nerves. Mollie O'Callaghan, tasked with the opening leg, fumbled her goggles on the blocks. No Cate Campbell. No Emma McKeon. No Shayna Jack. This was one of the least experienced quartets Australia had fielded in years, having won Olympic gold in 2012, 2016, 2021 and 2024. O'Callaghan (52.79), an individual 100m freestyle world champion in 2023, fired off a great first leg before Meg Harris (51.87 split) held the lead. From there, it was down to newcomers Milla Jansen and Wunsch — both highly rated but no one really knew if they really had it in them to propel Australia home. That they did as Jansen (52.89 split) kept Australia in front before Wunsch (53.05), channelling Ian Thorpe on Gary Hall Jr, surged past the USA's Torri Huske in the final strokes to secure gold in 3:30.60 — 0.44 seconds clear of the Americans. The Australian coaches' area erupted at the sight of a young team digging deep when it mattered. 'It was very daunting,' O'Callaghan said. 'All of us were quite nervous. I'm very confident in these girls.' Wunsch added: 'I just wanted to power home and give it all I had. And it's really exciting to be able to stand up with the gold medals.' The Americans declined to detail the impact of illness in their camp, but butterfly world record holder Gretchen Walsh withdrew an hour before the race. 'I don't really want to speak on how much it's affected us or who it's affected,' Huske said. 'But we've done a really good job staying resilient and staying positive.' The Australian men have often lived in the shadow of their female counterparts, despite winning the same event at the 2023 world titles in Fukuoka. This time, their task was even tougher on paper. At their staging camp in Darwin, Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor, Max Giuliani and Chalmers sat down to plot a path to victory. They knew it would take something special. They did it in 2023 at the world championships but had to settle for silver at last year's Olympics. Southam (47.77) set the tone before Taylor unleashed a sizzling 47.04 split in front of his mother, Australian Olympian Hayley Lewis, in the stands. Giuliani (47.63) got Australia into third, and then came Chalmers who delivered a devastating final split of 46.53 to motor the Dolphins home over a highly fancied American team. As Chalmers sliced through the water, his teammates smashed the starting blocks with their hands and willed the veteran to the wall. This was swimming theatre at its finest. Australia finished in 3:08.97, just 0.73 seconds outside the USA's world record from 2008. Italy (3:09.58) pipped the USA (3:09.64) for bronze. Then came even more celebrations, as Dean Boxall and head coach Rohan Taylor mobbed those around them in jubilant scenes. Australia weren't expected to come close but landed a 1-2 blow on their American rivals. 'The goal for us was just to give Kyle a puncher's shot,' Southam said. 'That was what we did. We all did our job extraordinarily well. 'The girls are so incredibly deep and strong, so we wanted to be part of that. We may not be the most talented on paper ... but we get in there and we have the underdog mentality. That was so awesome.' Loading Asked if he thought the USA were shocked by the result, Chalmers said: 'I think it's a huge upset and we prove that time and time again. Every year you read the articles and people write us off. 'We have a point to prove and swim with a chip on our shoulder a little bit, to be honest with you. 'It's not just about the US, but it was nice to get a hand on the wall first tonight and hear the Australian anthem is so special.' The Americans, meanwhile, were licking their wounds after failing to win a gold medal on night one — a rare sight for the swimming powerhouse, who last year also endured their worst Olympic gold haul in the pool since 1988. 'We're tough,' US swimmer Chris Guiliano said. 'We've got some dogs on this team.'
