Australian swim king Kyle Chalmers has again addressed his plans for the future.
And the 100m freestyle silver medallist from Paris is not only an eyeing off a fifth Olympics campaign, but possibly a sixth.
All the talk leading into the final in Paris Games was that the 26-year-old was in his last individual race at an Olympics, despite only previously saying he was not likely to swim at Los Angeles 2028.
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After winning the silver, he made the bombshell admission that his Olympic days were not over.
Now he’s doubled down on that claim.
“There are guys that are going to beat me at some point,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
![Chalmers celebrates with his silver medal.](https://images.7news.com.au/publication/C-15782023/0081e7c6e456d72878e790fc8bc8a5a46779183e.jpg?imwidth=650&impolicy=sevennews_v2)
![Chalmers celebrates with his silver medal.](https://images.7news.com.au/publication/C-15782023/0081e7c6e456d72878e790fc8bc8a5a46779183e.jpg?imwidth=650&impolicy=sevennews_v2)
“But hopefully that’s after the L.A Olympics … if I make it to LA.
“If I make it to LA, then it’s a home Olympics in Brisbane 2032, so who knows.
“I could swim on for a very long time.”
Chalmers will be 34 by the time the Brisbane Olympics roll around.
At the start of this month — following his epic fightback in the 100m freestyle to claim the silver behind a record-setting rival — Chalmers was inspired to shut down the broadcaster’s claims that he was done with the Olympics.
Asked how it felt to finish his individual program at the Olympics on the podium, Chalmers was adamant that “this is not my last” appearance.
Chalmers won gold at Rio 2016 and silver in Tokyo three years ago.
“I’m not retiring any time soon. I think I’ll continue on as long as I possibly can,” Chalmers said
“This race does mean a lot to me. It is really special. I’m just lost for words.
“Coming in, after having three guys having faster PBs than me, staying controlled and calm … I’m just really, really stoked with that. I don’t know what else to say.”
The news that he would swim on came as a bombshell to the Australian commentators given they had sold it as his last race throughout the broadcast.
![Only a world-record swim from China’s Pan Zhanle could beat home Chalmers in Paris.](https://images.7news.com.au/publication/C-15782023/0b8e1cca4a586198d83bb91f138013b17e9a47fa.jpg?imwidth=650&impolicy=sevennews_v2)
![Only a world-record swim from China’s Pan Zhanle could beat home Chalmers in Paris.](https://images.7news.com.au/publication/C-15782023/0b8e1cca4a586198d83bb91f138013b17e9a47fa.jpg?imwidth=650&impolicy=sevennews_v2)
“Isn’t that just the best news you’ve ever heard?” Ian Thorpe said immediately after the interview.
Chalmers last year said on radio he was “definitely” done with the Olympics after Paris 2024 and “ready to start the next chapter in my life”.
Later that day he was emphatic in clarifying “I am NOT RETIRING” from swimming, adding Paris would be his third and “most likely last” Olympics before leaving it up in the air.
“(Los Angeles) 2028 is a very long way away, but who knows, if the body and the mind hold up maybe I’ll even be in Brisbane in 2032,” Chalmers wrote.
After his Paris silver medal, Chalmers reflected on his journey from a “very young and naive” gold medallist to an even prouder runner-up.
He needed multiple cortisone injections to manage a back injury in qualifying for the Olympics.
“(In Rio) I didn’t know what it meant to be an Olympian or to be an Olympic champion,” Chalmers said.
“And then I had to work so hard and go through so much to get to Tokyo and to come away with silver there, that is probably the highlight of my swimming career.
“And then to back it up again this year, it’s so special to be an Olympian and be recognised as an Olympic champion.
“My biggest goal now is just inspiring the next generation of swimmers coming through.”