Forget "The Big Tuna".
Olympic swimming champion Kyle Chalmers' moniker should be "The Lizard King".
But it's "Adelaide Bluetongues" to his mates.
After earning a maiden Commonwealth Games berth, the 19-year-old has revealed the secret passion that has helped him regain his mojo since his Rio 100m freestyle triumph - blue-tongued skinks.
"I probably pushed everything aside and thought swimming was me after the Olympics," Chalmers said.
"I am trying to rediscover those loves that helped me perform.
"I am obsessed with reptiles, blue-tongued skinks.
"I have got about 16 of them in my garage, I have a licence and everything.
"My mindset is always lizards these days."
Chalmers became a household name after his stunning Rio triumph and still finds it hard to walk down the street in his native South Australia without being asked for a selfie or autograph.
And he only added to his swimming legend by claiming a maiden 100m-200m freestyle national double at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games swim trials that concluded on Saturday night.
He booked a Games debut with a stunning return after taking 2017 off to adjust to life as an Olympic hero and undergo surgery for a heart condition.
Yet there is a huge community in Australia who simply know Chalmers as Adelaide Bluetongues.
"I have formed a lot of friends in the lizard community - it's something I never thought I would say," Chalmers laughed.
"I have friends all around Australia that I catch up and they know me as Adelaide Bluetongues - that's my Instagram page.
"That's probably the biggest thing that has helped with normality.
"I am able to be Adelaide Bluetongues and then go to the pool and after training, it's back home to lizards."
His partner, fellow swimming champion Madi Wilson, may not be a huge fan but it has not dented Chalmers' unlikely lizard fixation, at one stage storing 30 of them in his garage.
His hobby can be a nice little earner too.
"Some of them sell for 10 grand. There is a lot of money in lizards and they sell ridiculously quick but it's not a business for me," he said.
"I grew up in the country and always had them in the backyard and one as a pet for a long time (as a kid).
"I got a bit caught up with swimming being the rest of my life (after Rio) but I have tried to take it back to reality and it (lizards) is something I am really enjoying.
"It's awesome. I come home from training and just spend three hours in the garage.... Madi is not a huge fan, though."
Share
