TYR Pro Series: USA’s Chase Kalisz Claims Gold Medal As Birthday Gift

Amid the intense preparations for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, all eyes are set on the ongoing 2024 TYR Pro Swim Series commencing in Westmont, California. As the competition heated up on the second day of the event, USA’s swimmers continued to make waves to seize the spotlight once again. Notably, Chase Kalisz came up in the swimming pool to compete against the star performer of the first day, David Johnston, wherein the former passed with flying colors picking up gold on the 400m individual medley.

The TYR Pro started with exhilarating 800 Men’s and Women’s freestyle races, where Katie Grimes and Davis Johnson captivated audiences with their remarkable performances. Now Chase Kalisz added to that on his 30th birthday.

2024 TYR Pro Swim Series: Chase Kalisz’s golden triumph

To share ecstatic news among the spectators of Chase Kalisz, USA Swimming took it to their official Twitter account and posted a couple of pictures of him. Alongside the pictures, they penned, “On his 30th birthday, Chase Kalisz gets the W in the men’s 400m IM! #TYR ProSeries“ Notably, the day did not start on a high note for Kalisz.

Chase Kalisz could manage a decent 8th place with a time of 4:27.75. His rival in the race David Johnston claimed the top spot with 4:24.37. Therefore, Johnston, who was placed 5th at last month’s World Championships, entered the final with high spirits. There Kalisz showed his class as a reigning Olympic champion.

In a significant drop from his heats time, Kalisz finished the race atop the podium with a remarkable 4:13.52. Johnston managed the second place while trailing by more than a second (4:14.94). Jay Litherland, who is Kalisz’s training partner at ASU, grabbed the third spot (4:16.38). This will surely give Kalisz a boost as he eyes an exciting record in the upcoming big games.

Can Caeleb Dressel uphold the veterans’ flag in Paris?

Touching the age of 30 years, Chase Kalisz will look forward to winning a medal in 400m IM which no swimmer of that age has ever achieved. Swimmers like Vladimir Salnikov and Grant Hackett have achieved medals in the latter half of their careers but not in their 30s. And there is a solid ground for Kalisz to go for it, given his recent performances.

In December, Chase Kalisz put up a strong performance in the US Open Swimming Championships. He grabbed the gold with a time of 4:10.42. In that effort, he defeated his arch-rival, Carson Foster. His time came just shy of the meet record (4:10.09) he set in 2022. However, Kalisz will not be alone in the race.

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To challenge his superiority, there will be Daiya Seto. Their decade-long rivalry is the one for history. The podium has seen at least one of the two at every major meet since the 2013 World Championships. While Kalisz turned 30, Seto will enter that club in May. A challenge to both will surely be the rising star Leon Marchand who recently broke Michael Phelps’ world record in 400 IM with a time of 4:02.50. It remains to be seen if Kalisz, along with Seto, can uphold the flag of the veterans against the youngster in Paris.

Also Read: Unveiling the Inspiring Journey of a Promising Future Paralympic Sensation in USA Swimming