Kyle Chalmers’ tattoo trail: Inks of fortitude feat. Snoop Dogg and Muhammad Ali

There are two things in life Kyle Chalmers can’t get enough of - winning medals in swimming for Australia and tattoos.

Chalmers’ medal collection is beyond impressive, with his trophy room housing as many as eight Olympic medals, headlined by a men’s 100m freestyle gold from Rio 2016.

Add to that four Youth Olympic medals, all from Nanjing 2014, and numerous pieces of round metals he has picked up from the World Championships, Commonwealth and Oceania Games and other top-tier swimming competitions and it’s easy to understand why Chalmers is regarded as one of the best in the world.

Kyle Chalmers’ tattoos: What do they mean

Chalmers’ assortment of ink on the canvas that is his body, however, is no less stunning.

For a long time, the number 761, his Dolphins number, in Roman numerals was the only piece of inkwork on his body. Chalmers had it tattooed when he was 16.

Inking the Olympic rings on

After he won three medals - 100m freestyle gold and two relay bronze - at his debut Summer Games at Rio 2016, Chalmers decided to get the Olympic rings tattooed on his ribs, a bit of a tradition for Aussie Olympians. However, it turned out to be the first of many.

Such was the Olympic high that he also inked XXXI, the Roman numeral for 31, on his wrist as Rio 2016 was the 31st Olympiad and added the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius (Latin for Faster, Higher, Stronger) on his right forearm.

Then just a shade over 18, it took Chalmers four days to show off his fancy new ink to his family.

“I kind of went quiet on it for a little bit after Rio 2016. Mum said no more so I respected that - for a while,” Chalmers later told 7News in an interview.

However, the Superfish had already been bitten by the tattoo bug by then.

In the years that followed, several pieces were added to his body. These include a hawk, the Chalmers family crest and a map of Australia on his arms, a cow’s skull, a rather painful endeavour, on his shin and ‘rough tattoos of rap icon Snoop Dogg, and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury and his brother’s birth year on his legs.

Chalmers admits that he regrets his tattoos and if he had the opportunity of a do-over, he would probably have none.

Nur die Starken uberleben tattoo

However, the Australian swimmer also noted that he has grown to love the tattoos on his body and every piece has a 'very meaningful' backstory.

Probably the most eye-catching piece of ink on Chalmer is a huge crown with wings across his chest with the words Nur die Starken uberleben, which means ‘only the strong survive’ in German - inscribed underneath.

“I learned German at school and studied German after school. That’s why it’s special for me to have a tattoo in German,” Chalmers explained.

Another deeply meaningful tattoo - a lion linked with a broken chain to a heart - rests on Chalmers’ left forearm.

It was inked to symbolise his successful battle against supraventricular tachycardia, a condition causing rapid heartbeats, shortness of breath and fainting. After being diagnosed in his childhood, the condition affected him at multiple meets after he started competing. He had to undergo three surgeries to fix the issue.

“The broken chain is that the heart was holding me back. Now the heart’s been fixed so the chain’s been broken and I’m the lion (representing courage),” Chalmers interpreted.

Another interesting piece tattooed on Chalmers is a butterfly bee, inspired by boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s famous quote ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’. There are also several pieces of ink as tributes to his swimming career.

Odes to home

Born and brought up in the coastal city of Port Lincoln in South Australia, Chalmers holds a special place for his hometown both in his and his body.

He has the famous Port Lincoln tuna inked on his leg as an ode to the city, which is famous for the southern bluefin tuna and caters a whole industry behind it. Chalmers also had the coordinates for the city inked on him.

Chalmers often quips that he got the coordinates from Wikipedia and never bothered to check them. He insists the numbers probably lead to a pet barn in the city.

With well over 60 hours spent on the chair getting inked, Chalmers has also developed a close friendship with his tattoo artist Laz and sports his pal’s signature on the backside of his arm.

Family and friendship above all

Laz, however, isn’t the only friend of Kyle’s who has been immortalised in ink on the famous Chalmers canvas.

Chalmers’ bromance with Brazilian swimmer and fellow Olympic medallist Bruno Fratus was rubberstamped with permanent ink when the two challenged each other to get a tattoo of their ‘favourite swimmer’ after the 2022 world championships.

Chalmers opted for an arm tattoo of a victorious Fratus celebrating in the water while the Brazilian reciprocated with a portrayal of Chalmers making a silencing gesture on his leg.

Friendship and family have been a common theme of Chalmars’ tattoo addiction. In December 2022, the Australian ace had Dolphins teammates Matt Temple and Britain’s Adam Peaty pick up the needle to ink him.

Peaty opted to tattoo his own signature on Chalmers’ calf. Temple, meanwhile, etched in 48.34 on his teammate’s hip to commemorate his butterfly leg in the men’s 4x100m medley relay at the 2022 worlds (25m), which set up Chalmers to finish the race with a gold and a short course world record.

The latest addition to Chalmers’ tattoo gallery is perhaps the simplest one of the lot - a smiley face with the word ‘mum’ underneath on the inside of his palm between the thumb and the index finger.

“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 on Instagram, explaining the significance of the minimal ink.

It was certainly in effect when Chalmers won his silvers in 100 fly and men’s relay at Paris 2024.

Ironically, it was his mum who was the most opposed to Chalmers getting his tattoos in the first place.

“For me, I’ve always wanted to get tattoos. I think mainly because my mum always said no. I’m the person who if I’m told no, it makes me want to get them even more. Sorry Jodie,” Chalmers had jokingly said in an interview back in 2021.