Winning is a powerful tonic. The fissures within many a sporting team have been healed by victory; frustration, fatigue and past failures all soothed by the balm of success. When Kyle Chalmers stormed to the 100m freestyle gold medal at the Commonwealth Games on Monday night, his triumph offered relief and vindication. As he brought a finger to his lips in a pre-meditated gesture, it was clear that Chalmers wanted to silence his critics.
If only it was so simple. Chalmers’ gold medal – his first individual success in the frenetic 100m freestyle since becoming Olympic champion as an unheralded teenager in 2016 – offers a potent riposte after the media storm of recent days. Taking to Instagram after the win, he posted: “A million things I could say, but this photo sums them all up and says it perfectly.” But the fall-out from this saga may only just be beginning.
