Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers set a world record in the 100-metre freestyle during the 4x100-metre relay at the World Swimming Championships in Paris, but it will not count as an official record, according to The Metro.
Chalmers delivered an extraordinary final leg for the Australian team, covering 100 metres in 46.59 seconds. This would make the team finish with silver and miss out by a small margin to the USA for gold. Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe praised Chalmers' swim as "the best relay I've ever seen."
26-year-old Chalmers smashed the current 100-metre world record by 0.21 seconds, swimming his leg in 46.59 seconds. China's Pan Zhanle is the record holder, with a time of 46.80 set earlier this year, according to The Metro.
But his time will not count officially because it was recorded during a relay event. According to World Aquatics, only the swimmer in the lead leg is eligible for an official time and Chalmers was the fourth in the race, as reported by News Corp Australia.
This is because the dive that starts the swimmers in the second to fourth legs is faster than the regular starts where athletes must remain still until the race begins.
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Chalmers, known as Big Tuna, already has the short-course 100-metre freestyle world record, timing 44.84 seconds. He will be one of the hot favourites for the individual 100-metre event at the La Defence Arena on Tuesday.
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In 2022, Chalmers considered quitting swimming amid rumours involving team-mates Cody Simpson and Emma McKeon, but he has since continued his competitive career.
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