Swim king Kyle Chalmers reveals the touching motivational tattoo he’ll look at before every race at the Paris Olympics

He may be covered in ink, but there is one tattoo in particular that Aussie swimming champion Kyle Chalmers will be looking to for inspiration at the Paris Olympics.

The 26-year-old will be hoping to replicate his gold medal heroics from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games when he takes to the blocks in Paris later this month.

The South Australian has numerous tattoos, including a prominent crown and wings on his chest with the German phrase ‘nur die starken überleben,’ which means ‘only the strong survive.’

But his most recent ink will hold the most meaning in France, with the swim star getting a small tattoo on his hand to give him strength and motivation before each of his races.

‘The special reminder tattooed on my hand I look to pre and post race, that provides me with purpose and the strength I need to exceed expectations,’ Chalmers posted to Instagram with a love heart emoji.

The tattoo itself is a simple smiley face with the word ‘mum’ underneath.

Ironically, Chalmers has joked in the past that part of the reason for his vast number of tattoos is because his mother told him to stop getting them some years ago.

He has even stated that he regrets getting so many of them.

This simple tattoo reminds Chalmers of his mother Jodie’s support and gives him the drive he needs to succeed

‘I regret them all,’ he said of his tattoos in 2023.

‘If I had my time again, I would probably have none.

‘But most of them are very meaningful and I do love them. It tells my story, it is my journal.

‘Now I am so deep into it that it is just an addiction.

‘I’ve got Snoop Dogg, Freddie Mercury, my brother’s birth year, the postcode for Port Lincoln,’ he said.

‘I’ve got cherubs on each leg. My most recent is the Port Lincoln Tuna I’ve got on my leg. They all mean something to me to an extent.’

He even let British pool superstar Adam Peaty tattoo his autograph on his calf after the world short-course championships in Melbourne in 2022. 

Chalmers’ mother Jodie has been his biggest supporter since day one and the swim king even lived with her when he was back in Adelaide well into his adult years.

After breaking the World Record in the 100m Freestyle at the Swimming World Cup in 2021, Chalmers dedicated the result to her, saying: ‘Mum is with me every centimetre of the race’.

Kyle Chalmers (right) is pictured with his younger brother Jackson Chalmers and mother Jodie

Chalmers is now engaged to Norwegian swimmer Ingeborg Løyning, who has been training with the Aussie star in Adelaide

And when he was at the centre of the ugly ‘love triangle’ controversy with Aussie swim teammates Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson, Jodie was reduced to tears seeing how much the accusations hurt her boy.

‘It embarrasses me that my grandparents have to read the stuff that gets put in the media, it upsets me that I have to go home to my mum crying on Facetime,’ he said at the time.

‘To have words put in my mouth and false information spread, trying to create cracks on the team … I have never had a rivalry with anyone.

‘I get along really well with my rivals. I get along with my teammates.’

After questioning his future in the sport after the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Chalmers is in a much better place today.

He has become engaged to partner and fellow swimmer Ingeborg Løyning who moved from Norway to Adelaide to train in the same squad as Chalmers and prepare for the Paris Olympics.

Chalmers has qualified for the 100m freestyle in Paris, and the Olympics begin on Friday, July 26. 

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