It is the first swimming world championships in Australia of any kind since 2007 and, on all evidence, it’s hard to see Chalmers not ticking the short-course world title box. The 24-year-old is the world record holder in the 100m freestyle, after clocking a powerhouse 44.84 seconds last year in Russia. He is one of only three men to break 45 seconds.

After racing in short-course World Cup meets for the past few months in Germany, Canada and the US, Chalmers is unbeaten over 100m and will be the raging hot favourite.

“The 100 freestyle is my baby and something I have achieved so much in over the years,” Chalmers said.

“I have been the Australian champion, the Oceania champion, the junior world champion, the Commonwealth champion, the Olympic champion ... but there are two more things I want to achieve, which is the world short-course championship and then the [long-course] world championship. I have two big boxes I want to tick so I can retire happily. So, I get the opportunity to tick one of those boxes off in front of a home crowd, and to have my family up in the crowd will mean the world to me.”

While it still involves a pool, blocks and lane ropes, short-course racing is almost a different sport to long course, particularly in sprint events. With twice as many laps required, a swimmer’s “skills” – diving, turns and underwater ability – are just as important as their fitness and technique. In a frenetic, four-lap, 100m race, Chalmers will use as few as eight swimming strokes a lap and 60 per cent of the race is underwater.

“The biggest difference is you get 15 metres underwater, so in long course that’s 30 metres, but in short course it is close to 60 metres underwater with your butterfly kicks,” he said.

“So you have got to have a really good butterfly kick and you have to have three really good turns.”

It’s here where the silver linings kick in for Chalmers, too. In the past few years, he has been plagued with chronic shoulder injuries. There was surgery on both at the end of 2020 and 2021. The injuries have been so painful Chalmers “feels 40 most days”.

During long periods where he couldn’t swim, however, Chalmers poured all his efforts into core and leg strength and mastering his underwater dolphin kick, in particular.

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“For me, I would always win races by being the fittest or the strongest or the fastest kind of person in the race,” he said. “But now I am able to win races because my skills are a whole lot better than what they used to be, and they’re right up there with the best in the world.

“It is something I pride myself on now, my dive and my turns and my underwater fly kicks. It has improved a huge amount in the last two-year period. ”

Fitter and more race-hardened than he was a year ago when he set his world record, Chalmers says there’s no reason why he can’t lower his mark in Melbourne.

“I would love to think every time I dive into the pool I can swim the best I possibly can and swim personal best times,” he said. “For me, swimming a PB now is a world record.”

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