Kyle Chalmers talks 2025 World Championships, farm life, mental health, and fatherhood\” />

Kyle Chalmers. Photo Credit: Ingie Løyning.
Olympic gold medalist, world champion and Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers spoke about the 2025 World Championships, his new life on a farm, mental health, and fatherhood.

Motivational speaker Eric Thomas once said: “Winners focus on winning, losers focus on winners.” This quote applies to Kyle Chalmers.

Kyle Chalmers — The World, Oceanian and Australian record holder

Chalmers is a world record holder in the short course 100 meter freestyle, the 4 × 100 meter medley relay, and the long course 4 × 100 meter mixed freestyle relay.

He is the Oceanian and Australian record holder in the short course 50 meter butterfly and 50 meter freestyle. “The short course world record was amazing,” he exclaimed. “I’ve learned to love the underwaters.”

2025 World Championships in Singapore

On competing at the 2025 Aquatics World Championships in Singapore, Chalmers exclaimed, “Singapore was really good! I loved it!”

His anchor leg in the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay was 46.53 seconds, which earned him a gold medal.

“That was great! To get a gold medal with my relay team was very special. It’s always good to win a gold medal and to break a Championship record on that one was awesome,” Chalmers said.

In Singapore, Chalmers also won a bronze medal in the 100 meter freestyle race with a time of 47.17 seconds.

Life on a farm

Chalmers revealed that he now lives on a farm in Adelaide Hills with his fiancée Ingie, a fellow swimmer herself.

“Farm life is really good. I’ve been loving it,” he exclaimed. “It’ so good and so much fun. We are having a baby in a few days’ time, so it’s all happening for us.”

“Ingie is a little over nine months pregnant, so we are in the window when the baby can come at any time,” he added.

“We have to make a new YouTube on farm life,” he admitted.

Chalmers on his reptile collection

When asked about his reptile collection, he responded, “Currently, I don’t have any reptiles because I am away so much and it’s too hard for my mom to have to look after everything while I’m away.”

“So, I will get reptiles again eventually, but for the time being, it is just too challenging. I have eight cows on my farm now, so that’s enough animals,” he noted.

50s at the next Olympic Games. “That is very exciting,” he noted. “That will prolong my swimming career, for sure. I can try to compete at the Brisbane Olympic Games in 2032… I can do the 50s and of course, I love the relays.”

Chalmers Swim Academy

He opened up about the Chalmers Swim Academy.

“The Chalmers Swim Academy has been going really well,” he noted. “We have been able to work with a lot of swimmers around Australia and around the world, so it has been special to pass on all that knowledge and experiences I’ve had throughout my swimming career to these younger swimmers who are excited to learn.”

“This weekend we are doing a couple of swim clinics locally with about 100 kids so that’s going to be a lot of fun as well, especially to be able to give back. I would love to get more representation of South Australians on the Australian team. I love it,” he said.Kyle Chalmers. Photo Credit: Ingie Løyning.

Greatest lesson that swimming has taught him

On the greatest lesson that swimming and competitive sports has taught him, he shared, “It taught me how to get through challenges, setbacks and rise above them.”

“I’ve had to go through a lot of setbacks such as injuries, mental health challenges, and losing my coach Peter Bishop (who moved to The Netherlands and is a head coach there). “Peter is no longer my day-to-day coach, which was quite hard,” he elaborated.

Stage of his life

On the title of the current chapter of his life, he revealed, “Preparing to be a dad, and life outside of the pool.”

He and Ingie shared that they will be having a baby girl.

“While swimming doesn’t define me and especially now, you realize that there is more to life than just swimming. I still love swimming, and I still want to have success in the pool,” he exclaimed.

“So, I am excited for the next chapter of swimming, but I am also very excited for the next chapter of life such as being a father, husband and farming,” he added.

Chalmers on his career-defining moments

Chalmers feels that his biggest moments have yet to come. “That’s exciting for sure,” he admitted. “These next three years leading up to Los Angeles Olympics is what is going to define me.”

Best advice he has ever been given

On the best advice he has ever been given, he disclosed, “To slow down and enjoy my moments.”

“It is very easy to get caught in the Olympic bubble, and those big moments but it’s important to enjoy being at the Olympic Games, meeting people, and getting photos with Kevin Durant and the USA basketball players,” he explained.

“I’m slowing down and enjoying my career while I’m in it,” he added.

Mental health significance

On the importance of mental health, Chalmers said, “It’s very important to me. I think you need to stay on top of your mental health to keep yourself happy and functioning.”

“I know when I start to decline slightly, I have a lot of skills that I can use to get myself back on track. It is important to notice when things aren’t going right and try to get yourself back on track quickly,” he elaborated.

“I try to spend time with my family and friends, and get outside to nature. Whenever that is happening, I try to be ‘Kyle Chalmers the person more’ than ‘Kyle Chalmers the athlete’,” he said about his mental health coping mechanisms.

Chalmers on Caeleb Dressel

Chalmers has nothing but respect and admiration for American swimmer Caeleb Dressel.

“Caeleb is one of my very favorite swimmers, and I’ve been so lucky to have had so many great battles again him,” Chalmers said.

“Hopefully, we will keep it going. We’ve had some very good races over time… and that’s what drove us so much throughout both of our careers,” he added.

Success

Regarding his definition of the word success, Chalmers said, “Success means really great father and really great husband… that’s how I will be able to define my success when I am a very old man.”

“I will be able to look back on all that, and that will be more successful than the success I’ve had in the pool,” he acknowledged.

Message for his fans

For his fans and supporters, Chalmers expressed, “It takes an army. I am very grateful to have had so much support over the years. The fans continue to drive me!”

“My fans are a big part of my journey… they make it all worthwhile especially when you are inspiring the next generation of people,” he concluded.

American track and field running legend Steve Prefontaine once said: “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” Kyle Chalmers embodies this wise quote.

To learn more about Kyle Chalmers, follow him on Instagram.