Kyle Chalmers silences critics but focus on swimmer’s personal life has been absurd

Winning is a powerful tonic. The fissures within many a sporting team have been healed by victory; frustration, fatigue and past failures all soothed by the balm of success. When Kyle Chalmers stormed to the 100m freestyle gold medal at the Commonwealth Games on Monday night, his triumph offered relief and vindication. As he brought a finger to his lips in a pre-meditated gesture, it was clear that Chalmers wanted to silence his critics.

If only it was so simple. Chalmers’ gold medal – his first individual success in the frenetic 100m freestyle since becoming Olympic champion as an unheralded teenager in 2016 – offers a potent riposte after the media storm of recent days. Taking to Instagram after the win, he posted: “A million things I could say, but this photo sums them all up and says it perfectly.” But the fall-out from this saga may only just be beginning.

Clouds began to form in May, when Chalmers beat Cody Simpson – the swimmer turned pop star turned swimmer again, who now dates Emma McKeon after her split from Chalmers last year – in the 100m butterfly at the national championships, a selection event for the world championships and Commonwealth Games. Chalmers had considered missing the world titles, which would have allowed Simpson to take his spot, but ultimately elected to contest both international meets.

Chalmers qualified faster, so this was very much his prerogative. But some sections of the media, led by News Corp titles, manufactured a “love triangle” and implied that Chalmers was the villain. Chalmers was set to “destroy” Simpson’s dreams; his decision was “brutal”. The coverage had a negative effect on Chalmers, who went to ground and issued a statement decrying the “massive toll” the furore was having