Kyle Chalmers has qualified for his third Olympics after pulling a muscle in his back 12 days ago while sitting on the couch, which left him wondering whether he’d even be able to compete at trials.
The 25-year-old, who shot to prominence after winning gold as a teenager in the 100m freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics, took out his favoured two-lap event on Thursday in a time of 47.75 seconds at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.
Chalmers then revealed he needed four cortisone injections to help him even get up on the blocks after “blowing my back” less than two weeks out from Olympic trials. He has been battling back injuries for a number of years.
“I’ve been doing some landscape labouring work up on the coast and I decided I wouldn’t go to work on the Friday and I’d rest for trials,” Chalmers said.
“I just spent a day laying on the couch, which my body’s clearly not used to, and got pretty stiff. I tried to do a dive and it just all spasmed and locked up.
“I saw physios and doctors, and the best thing I could do was to get four cortisones in my lower back and try to get moving again. It was a really hard thing to go through so close to trials. It makes you change your stroke completely.”
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