Swimming World Championships 2022: Emma McKeon and Kyle Chalmers win 100m freestyle gold, day three results

Emma McKeon and Kyle Chalmers continued the gold rush in Australia by claiming their first individual world titles at the World Short Course Swimming Championships.

The duo won Olympic gold medals in the 100 m freestyle but never made the podium in the blue ribbon competition at the World Championships.

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That all changed on the third day of competition in Melbourne on Thursday night, when McKeon won the 100m freestyle in 50.77 seconds, ahead of Siobhan Haughey and Marritt Steenbergen.

McKeon didn’t have all of that, and it took her all her experience to beat Hogi, as she did at the Tokyo Olympics, by a tenth of a second.

It was a special moment for McKeon with his family in the stands.

Touching the wall first, she waved to boyfriend Cody Simpson and hugged him on the pool deck after receiving her gold medal.

This is McKeon’s second gold medal since she set the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay world record with a brilliant split on the first night of competition.

In the men’s 100 m freestyle, Chalmers flew home on the last lap and touched the ball first in 45.16 seconds, ahead of Maxime Grousset (45.41) and Alessandro Miressi (45.57).

David Popovichi, the 18-year-old long distance world record holder, is fourth in the new junior world record.

“That’s something I’m so proud of,” Chalmers said of his first personal world title.

“For me, this is what I dreamed of doing since childhood. I had to withdraw from the last three Short Course World Championships due to injuries and health problems. So for me to finally get to one and stand on top of the podium is something I will remember for the rest of my life.

“The reason I’m in the sport is to succeed and I’m proud of what I do on the big stage.”

Chalmers’ battered body is falling apart every year, so he was thrilled to keep his crown as the king of the men’s freestyle sprint.

“Tomorrow is exactly one year since I had surgery on my shoulder that could potentially end my career.

“So for me to come back here and stand at the top of the podium is always something special.”

“Everyone faces challenges in their swimming career and it’s about people who can rise above those challenges and keep finding ways to win and I’m very proud of that.”

Both McKeon and Chalmers set new championship records en route to gold.

Australia currently leads in medal count with seven gold medals.

Elsewhere, Australian Isaac Cooper set a new junior world record (22.52 seconds) by qualifying fastest in the 50m backstroke final ahead of American superstar Ryan Murphy.

Cooper surprisingly won a bronze medal in the 100m backstroke on Wednesday and made a brilliant return to the Australian national team after being sent home from Europe ahead of the Commonwealth Games for disciplinary reasons.

The 18-year-old sets new personal records every time he hits the water and, along with Lani Pallister, has become a breakout star for the Dolphins.

Molly O’Callaghan qualified third fastest in the 50m backstroke final and 100m champion Kaylee McKeown was ninth, narrowly missing out on the lead.

Not all.

Originally published as Emma McKeon and Kyle Chalmers win gold in 100m freestyle at the World Swimming Championships