Kyle Chalmers tapped the wall, looked up to check the results, then stood up and put his index finger to his lips.
The Australian had just won the men’s 100m freestyle, a Commonwealth Games gold six years in the making – his first appearance at a major international event since becoming Olympic champion in Rio 2016.
And after a week of baseless speculation and relentless questions about his personal life, his time of 47.51 seconds symbolically silenced all the unwanted attention.
“I’ve thought about it before,” Chalmers told the Seven Network after the competition, in which England’s Tom Dean and Scotland’s Duncan Scott won silver and bronze respectively.
“Usually I do a little bit more of a celebration after a win, but this was one that probably meant more than a fist bump or a muscle flex.
“It’s special to win, but unfortunately I think it’s hard to enjoy the moment when everything that happened has lasted. This makes it a challenging time.
“I’m just thankful I was able to block him enough to stand up and win tonight. I hope this is a learning point for everyone and I hope no one else has to go through what I went through.”
On a day when Australia again added to an already huge medal tally from Birmingham, with Emma McKeon leading the swimmers’ dominance and Matthew Glatzer (track cycling), Georgia Godwin (gymnastics), Ellen Ryan (bowling) and Tinka Easton ( judo) among other gold medalists, Chalmers said he was unusually emotional before the competition.
“The last 48 hours have been hell, it’s been an emotional roller coaster,” he said. “I appreciate all the support I have received. I wouldn’t be able to pass [without] it.
“There were points yesterday where I thought I wasn’t going to continue. It just lets the media win. For me, I had to stand up and do it, not for myself, but for everyone at home, anyone going through similar things. I hope I can inspire and continue this conversation.”
It came as McKeon collected her fourth gold of the Games and 12th of her career, ahead of compatriot Holly Barratt – who tied for second with South Africa’s Erin Gallagher – to build on her new record as the most successful athlete from Commonwealth Games in history.
Also in the pool, Kayleigh McKeown won the 200m backstroke to add to her 100m triumph, beating Kylie Masse and breaking the Canadian Commonwealth Games record.
Matthew Gleitzer celebrates his gold in the men’s 1km despite a sprint steer race. Photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
The men’s relay team won a fourth straight 4x200m gold in Games record time and Matthew Levy won gold in the men’s S7 50m freestyle to bring the curtain down on a glittering career that included a string of Paralympic gold medals, world championships and Commonwealth Games.
“It’s great to finish here and back it up from four years ago,” Levy said. “I’ve had a very long career and it’s great to continue that high standard for the last 20 years and I’m very proud of tonight and I’m proud of my career.”
Meanwhile, Cody Simpson qualified for the final of the men’s 100m butterfly, going fifth fastest with a third-place finish in his semi-final.
“Pretty wild, pretty special,” Simpson said. “That was my goal, to make sure I went into the night. I’m just relieved that I am.’
At the velodrome, Glaetzer put two days of setbacks behind her to defend her 1km time trial from four years ago and equal Anna Meares’ Australian record of five Commonwealth Games cycling gold medals.
Despite being forced to use different handlebars for safety reasons, Glaetzer (59.505 seconds) and fellow Australian Tom Cornish (1:00.036) finished first and second ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Nicholas Paul (1:00.089).
The race – likely his last at the Commonwealth Games – was a fitting end to a nightmare 48 hours during which the 29-year-old from Adelaide crashed during a keirin and had to have his elbow cut open to remove splinters, and then his was denied a bronze medal at the review in the men’s sprint.
AusCycling has told the Aussies they will have to use less aero handlebars for the sprint due to concerns that the aerobars will not withstand the riders’ power. The decision came as a result of a review following Alex Porter’s crash at the Tokyo Olympics, which found the governing body had not properly stress-tested the equipment.
“It was pretty last minute when we found out,” Glatzer said. “We couldn’t control it. But we’d rather be safe and not snap anything or rip our arm off if something goes wrong, so we took it in stride.”
Gymnast Godwin won the individual vault to claim two gold medals and two silvers in a thrilling campaign that brought positive attention to the sport.
And Ryan secured Australia’s first grass court gold in the women’s singles as the 25-year-old held off Guernsey’s Lucy Beer 21-17.
The Diamonds remain unbeaten in netball after beating South Africa 74-49, although center Paige Hadley is a doubt for the team’s next match against Wales on Tuesday after injuring her calf.
The men’s 3×3 basketball team will play for gold on day five in Birmingham after beating Kenya and then Scotland on Monday to reach the final, but the women’s team lost their semi-final 20-13 to host country England.
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