King Kyle Chalmers officially rules the world after he smoked heir apparent David Popovici to win the 100m freestyle crown at the world short course championships.
The duel was billed as the race of the Melbourne championships, with short course world record-holder Chalmers up against the Romanian teenager who broke the long course mark this year.
Despite his years of success, Chalmers, who won the 100m Olympic title at Rio in 2016, had never won an individual world title.
The 24-year-old South Australian powered home in the final 25 metres to touch the wall in 45.16 seconds - outside his world best time of 44.84 but still a championship record - while Popovici had to settle for fourth in 45.64.
"I had to pull out of the last three world short course championships due to injury and health issues so for me to finally make it to one and stand on the top of the podium is something I'm going to remember for the rest of my rest of my life," Chalmers said.
"It's something that I'm so proud of - something that I've dreamed of doing since I was a kid."
Chalmers has faced a number of challenges in the past year, undergoing shoulder surgery for an injury which almost ended his career.
He was in the spotlight at the Commonwealth Games, shushing the crowd after winning his signature race after saying that "false headlines" about his relationship with Australian teammates, ex-girlfriend Emma McKeon and her new partner Cody Simpson, threatened his mental health as well as his swimming future.
Chalmers said taking the title in front of a home crowd, including his grandparents, was especially sweet.
"For me to be back here and standing on top of the podium is always something very special," Chalmers said.
"Everyone faces challenges in their swimming career, and it's about people who can rise above those challenges and continue to find ways to win, and I'm very proud of that one."
He predicted more battles ahead with Popovici as they jostle to be No.1 at the next Olympics in Paris.
"Me and David are going to have some great battles over the next few years, but I know there's going to be 10-15 other guys that could do something amazing in Paris.
"I'll chat to David when I get the chance to and I look forward to the races we have ahead."
