Kyle Chalmers, an Australian Olympic gold medallist, will undergo heart surgery and miss the swimming world championships in Hungary. The 18-year-old, who rose to prominence with victory in the 100m freestyle in Rio last year, suffers from a longstanding condition that has on occasion affected his activities in the pool.
In November last year Chalmers was forced to withdraw from the Australian national short course championships as his heart rate spiked just before he was due to race in the freestyle final.
The South Australian has suffered from supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) since birth, which causes occasional sharp increases in heart rate and leads to dizziness. It is not the first time he has gone under the knife in an attempt to alleviate the problem.
“I have been swimming with an ongoing heart condition known as supraventricular tachycardia and have increasingly begun to suffer from an abnormally fast heart rhythm during training and competitions, which now requires surgery,” Chalmers said. “I have had a surgery in the past and, unfortunately, it did not work.
“Whilst the timing for this follow up is not ideal, the symptoms have reached a point where I must act to ensure I am in peak physical condition for next year’s Commonwealth Games trials and hopefully the Commonwealth Games.”
Chalmers will miss the competition in Budapest but does not envisage a lengthy absence from competitive swimming following the surgery, which he is expected to undergo in the next few weeks.
“There is never a good time for this type of procedure, but given I’ve suffered from these symptoms during two of the past three major meets, and following my doctor’s advice, I have made the tough decision to withdraw,” Chalmers said. “I can’t wait to be back in the pool in a few weeks and I wish all the Aussies competing at the world championships the best of luck.”
His coach, Peter Bishop, said it was in Chalmer’s long-term interest to get the surgery done “sooner rather than later” while the Australian swim team coach, Jacco Verhaeren, echoed that view.
“We are at the beginning of a new Olympic cycle, and for some of our athletes we need to look at longevity to allow them to stay at the highest level for longer,” Verhaeren said. “Kyle has our full support and we know he will use this time away from competition positively and to his advantage to return for a home Commonwealth Games in 2018 and beyond.”
