Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Swim star Chalmers to pursue AFL career

Australian swimming star Kyle Chalmers says he'll probably quit the pool after the 2020 Olympics to pursue an AFL career.

Kyle Chalmers
Kyle Chalmers is the reining Olympic 100m freestyle champion. (AAP)

Kyle Chalmers plans to quit swimming after the 2020 Olympics to pursue an AFL career.

The Olympic gold medallist says playing AFL is his dream.

"I would give absolutely everything to see if that dream would take off," Chalmers told News Corp.

"I know how hard it can be to be an athlete in regards to training and commitment.

"If there was a sniff I could play AFL football, I would train all day every day to see if I could get drafted."

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

The 20-year-old Chalmers, whose father Brett played 75 AFL games for Port Adelaide and Adelaide, acknowledged the difficulty in swapping sports.

"It would be hard for me to go from being at the top of the swimming world to potentially being a rookie on a footy list," he said.

"There would be a big shock but I would do everything I could and give everything up to pursue that dream because it has been a dream of mine since I was small."

Chalmers, who won 100m freestyle gold and two bronze medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, played Australian rules football as a youth before concentrating on swimming.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world