The Australian Swimming Championships have wrapped up, producing some early-season surprises and reason for optimism as the Dolphins prepare for a crucial campaign heading towards the Tokyo Olympic Games. Head coach Jacco Verhaeren knows better than to put the cart before the horse given the prelude to Rio compared to the returns from those Games, but he would have been largely impressed with what he saw. Here's five talking points from the wash-up in Adelaide.
King Kyle
Olympic 100m freestyle champion Kyle Chalmers was in ominous form at the Championships, which wasn't a selection meet and thus most of the elite athletes were still in varying stages of training. Even so, he rattled off the fastest 100m freestyle of his life, beating the mark that won him gold in Brazil, and added the 200m title to his keeping as well. He wants both of those at this year's FINA World Championships in July and again in Japan 12 months later.
He's becoming a more versatile swimmer as well, blasting off in the first 50m of his 100m and showing his improved speed by pinching the 50m freestyle for good measure. He's travelling better than ever.
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