Australian freestyler and backstroker Kyle Chalmers said it took all his strength and courage to win his third gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in the men’s 100 metres freestyle.
It wasn’t his fastest swim, but he said it was “bigger than just me racing”.
“It’s very, very bittersweet. It’s been the most-challenging, probably 48 hours of my swimming career,” Chalmers said.
“And, as much as it’s nice to win, it’s probably just a big sense of relief, rather than the satisfaction that I thought I’d feel and want to feel after a performance like that.”
Chalmers has been the centre of intense scrutiny over his personal life, and it came to a head at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre a couple of nights ago, where he faced more questioning over unsourced rumours about rifts in the team after winning the men’s 4×100 metres freestyle relay.
The 24-year-old considered walking away, and admitted he barely slept ahead of the 100 metres freestyle heats.
But he pushed on to send a message.
Gold medallist Kyle Chalmers sent a message to the media after weeks of intense scrutiny.(AP: Kirsty Wigglesworth)
“I’ve had definitely big battles with mental health over a long time, and it’s one of the most-challenging things that I’ve had to face and see my teammates face and family face,” he said.
“I think it’s important that people have the courage to stand up and speak about it.
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