Australia’s fastest swimmer Kyle Chalmers to return home for a game of footy

After winning at the World Aquatic Championships in Japan last week, Kyle Chalmers will swap the pool for a footy oval this weekend when he laces up for his old team in Port Lincoln. 

But Chalmers, who won the blue ribbon in his 100-metre freestyle swim, will not be the only Olympian taking to the field this Saturday on the Eyre Peninsula.

His good friend and Oceanian record holder for the 100-metre butterfly, Matthew Temple, will also get a game.

Lincoln South coach Johann Wagner said the two Olympians would be a strong inclusion to its B-grade side this weekend.

“Those boys coming back into the side is just really good for the league and it’s going to be great for young kids to come and watch them and hopefully get some really good numbers there,” he said.

Wagner believes the pair will have an even greater impact off the field as well.

“Kyle and Matt are very, very good people,” he said.

“They are always taking photos. Last time Kyle was over … he was signing autographs and taking photos with kids at the club.”

Mr Wagner said he admired Chalmers’s ability to stay grounded and considered it a testament to his character.

“He really cherishes the value of his mates that he has had from school, which is a great thing, to never forget where he comes from, and he just wants to come back and enjoy being young,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s good to just ground yourself, come home and enjoy the smaller things in life.”

Chalmers’s cousin Justin Sheppherd said his whole family was excited to catch up, as he knew it could be be hard to find time between swimming training and competitions.

“It’s really good for him to come home, and the grandparents love it and the whole family loves it, really, so we all get to get around him and spend some good valuable time with him,” he said.

“Just for him to come home and for all the kids to get their shirts signed and to watch him put on the boots, that will all be pretty exciting.”

Despite the two-time Olympian proving himself time and time again in the pool, his cousin remains a sceptic when it comes to Chalmers’s football abilities.

“I think he has got a little bit softer now days because he doesn’t want to get laid out and hurt his shoulder, so like I said to him, ‘You still want to get to the Olympics next year, so you don’t want to do any footy injuries’,” Mr Sheppherd said.

Lincoln South will take on Marble Range at Centenary Oval in Port Lincoln on Saturday.