Australian Swimmer Breaks 100m Freestyle World Record, But It Won’t Count

Paris: Australian swimming sensation Kyle Chalmers stunned the world with an extraordinary performance in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the World Swimming Championships.

The 26-year-old shattered the existing world record by a 0.21 seconds, clocking an unbelievable 46.59 seconds for his leg.

Despite the jaw-dropping feat, Chalmers’ record-breaking swim will not be officially recognized.

According to World Aquatics regulations, only the lead swimmer in a relay is eligible for an official time. As the anchor leg swimmer, Chalmers’ time, while faster than the current world record held by China’s Pan Zhanle, will not be recorded in the history books.

This rule is in place due to the advantage relay swimmers have with their starts compared to individual races.

The Australian swimming legend, Ian Thorpe, lauded Chalmers’ performance as “the best relay I’ve ever seen.” The silver-winning effort has only heightened anticipation for Chalmers’ individual 100m freestyle race, scheduled for Tuesday.

The “Big Tuna,” as Chalmers is affectionately known, has already conquered the short-course 100m freestyle world record and is undoubtedly a hot favourite for the upcoming event.

In 2022, Chalmers contemplated retiring from swimming amidst personal challenges involving teammates Cody Simpson and Emma McKeon but has since continued his competitive career.