Australian Trials: Kyle Chalmers 48.09 and Jack Cartwright 48.21 All Heart As They Chase World Championship Places In Tonight’s 100m Freestyle Final

Australian Trials: Kyle Chalmers and Jack Cartwright All Heart As They Chase World Championship Places In Tonight’s 100m Freestyle Final

If both Kyle Chalmers and Jack Cartwright can qualify for next month’s World Championships together in Melbourne tonight it will be another remarkable chapter for the 24-year-olds who have certainly had more than their fair share of heartfelt moments.

Chalmers (Marion, SA) and Cartwright (St Peters Western, QLD) are the two fastest  qualifiers into tonight’s 100m freestyle final at the World Championship Trials for Fukuoka, Chalmers winning his heat in a slick 48.09 and Cartwright his, only a fingernail slower in 48.21.

HEARTS OF GOLD: Jack Cartwright, Kyle Chalmers, Madi Wilson and Mollie O’Callaghan celebrate World Championship relay gold in Budapest last year. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming Australia

If the pair can slip under the Swimming Australia qualifying time of 47.96 and finish first and second, then they’ll both book their tickets to another World Championship campaign in Fukuoka – with places on the Australian relays also on offer.;

But win, lose or draw, the boys who have swum against each other since they were 14 and shared Commonwealth Games and World Championship gold together will always sit down for a heart-to-heart.

Apart from their love of swimming for Australia they have both dealt with the heart condition Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) – an irregularly fast or erratic heartbeat (arrhythmia) that affects the heart’s upper chambers.

The condition forced 2016 Olympic champion Chalmers to have two corrective surgeries and sent Cartwright to hospital after an episode during a 200m race at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Trials.

Cartwright was cleared and released from hospital, within 24 hours, then dead-heated with Chalmers for seventh and eighth into the 100m freestyle final before they finished first and second to qualify for the team.

The pair then shared the gold medal podium together after Australia won the 4x100m freestyle relay at the Games on the Gold Coast before they finished 1-2 in the 100m freestyle final at the Pan Pacs in Tokyo later in the year – Chalmers claiming gold and Cartwright holding off American Caeleb Dressell for silver.

Cartwright has also battled chronic shoulder issues which have left him pondering “what if?” but last year the two boys combined again, this time with Mollie O’Callaghan and Madi Wilson for another golden moment in Australia’s Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay triumph at the World’s in Budapest.

It was Cartwright who led off in 48.12, followed by Chalmers (46.98), Wilson (52.25) and O’Callaghan (52.03).

This morning it was Chalmers and Cartwright who sent clear messages that they again mean business, with Chalmers 48.09 (23.49/24.60) his fastest heat time of the year while Cartwright (23.31/24.90) looked as good as he’s looked, with his 48.21 – his fourth fastest time ever and his fastest ever heat swim.

Then followed Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 48.75, Dylan Andrea (Chandler, QLD) 49.08, Matthew Temple (Marion, SA) 49.17, Alex Graham (Miami, QLD) 49.30, Kai Taylor (St Peters Western, QLD) 49.32 with the eighth and final lane going to Cody Simpson (Griffith University, QLD) who had to survive a swim-off after dead-heating with Jamie Jack (St Peters Western, QLD) in 49.54 in the heats.

In other highlights on night four:

World record holder and Olympic and world champion Kaylee McKeown (Griffith University, QLD) will be chasing her third win of the meet in the women’s 200m backstroke.

Tokyo Olympians Tommy Neill (Rackley Swim Team, QLD) and Brendon Smith (Griffith University, QLD) won’t have things all their own way with Victorian pair Will Petric (Nunawading, VIC) and David Schlicht (MLC Aquatic, VIC) in the 200IM.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lizzy Dekkers (Chandler, QLD) will have Birmingham team mates Abbey Connor (Revesby Workers, NSW) and Brianna Throssell (St Peters Western, QLD) to contend with in the women’s 200m butterfly;

While Ariarne Titmus and Kiah Melverton (St Peters Western, QLD), Lani Pallister and Moesha Johnson (Griffith University, QLD) and Maddy Gough (Carlile, NSW) will head an all-star line up in the women’s 800m freestyle.