Teen freak eyeing 'mouth-watering' showdown

1 year ago 94

It's the contention that pits the abbreviated people satellite grounds holder against the agelong people satellite grounds holder, and it's acceptable to beryllium the item of this week's World Short Course Championships successful Melbourne.

Australia's Kyle Chalmers volition spell head-to-head with 18-year-old Romanian sensation David Popovici successful the men's 100 metres freestyle, and already the caput games person begun.

Popovici, who won golden successful some the 100m and 200m astatine the agelong people satellite titles successful June, is already claiming underdog status, declaring the abbreviated people format doesn't suit him.

Chalmers, connected the different hand, is the abbreviated people satellite grounds holder.

"I don't deliberation it's a bluff to accidental that I don't similar swimming abbreviated people events; I americium benignant of built for agelong people competition," Popovici said.

"The turns and starts are much aggravated successful abbreviated course, truthful this is simply a large accidental to stitchery accusation and to summation acquisition and to beryllium the champion mentation that I tin be.

"Sure, determination is simply a rivalry betwixt maine and Kyle, but I deliberation the rivalry is lone successful agelong course," helium added.

The FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) volition beryllium broadcast exclusively unrecorded and escaped connected Nine and 9Now from December 13-18.

"Kyle holds the satellite grounds successful abbreviated people events and I americium the satellite grounds holder successful agelong people events. So, possibly successful a fewer years, this rivalry volition beryllium real. My extremity is to suffice for the final, and arsenic we each know, erstwhile you person a lane, you person a chance."

Chalmers has been successful bully signifier successful caller months, taking golden astatine World Cup meets successful Germany, Canada and the United States.

"I cognize Kyle is looking guardant to it, truthful that makes maine look guardant to it," Australian caput manager Rohan Taylor told Wide World of Sports.

"Kyle is simply a large racer and loves racing, it's mouth-watering to beryllium capable to beryllium and ticker that.

"David has shown his wares successful the long-course format, this is his accidental to travel up against Kyle successful the short-course. It's decidedly 1 I'm looking guardant to."

Chalmers is six years older than Popovici, having won an Olympic golden medal (Rio) and metallic medal (Tokyo) implicit this distance.

It's shaping arsenic 1 of swimming's large rivalries successful the years to come, though the toll of injuries connected his assemblage mean Chalmers is improbable to beryllium astir erstwhile Brisbane hosts the 2032 Olympics.

But Popovici's rise, and his contention with Chalmers, could spot the Romanian go thing of a household sanction successful Australia, successful overmuch the aforesaid mode that the likes of Pieter van den Hoogenband and Gary Hall did successful the pb up to the Sydney games successful 2000.

"I don't deliberation they're going to request to bash thing to physique that rivalry, I deliberation everyone other volition bash it for them," Taylor observed.

"That's fine. They tin play it the mode they want. I don't cognize David, but I person nary uncertainty that erstwhile helium gets connected the blocks he's going to beryllium wanting to win, that's what makes the elite athletes."

The heats of the men's 100m freestyle are scheduled for Wednesday morning, with the semi finals connected Wednesday nighttime and the last connected Thursday night, and Taylor says Chalmers is raring to go.

"He looks great, he's done immoderate World Cup meets and raced highly good there, he's truly looking guardant to it," helium said.

"He's successful a bully place, conscionable similar the remainder of the team."

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Nine commentator Ian Thorpe says Chalmers has his enactment chopped out.

"I enactment David arsenic the favourite astatine the moment," Thorpe said.

"Because helium is simply a young swimmer, helium tin backmost up from conscionable to meet. It'll beryllium truly tight.

"[Kyle's] up against astir apt the astir breathtaking up-and-coming swimmer successful the world."

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!