Kyle Chalmers' childhood coach Carolyn Veldhuyzen reflects on moment she knew he would become a star

Before Kyle Chalmers became 'King Kyle' he was just a kid from South Australia who had a talent that would allow him to become a world champion.

Chalmers was 19 when he burst onto the swimming scene and stunned the world to win gold in Rio eight years ago.

Fast-forward to Paris, in what was a showstopping finish, Chalmers touched in second to claim a historic third straight Olympic medal in the 100m freestyle.

LIVE UPDATES: Follow all the action from day six

READ MORE: Chalmers unfazed despite Aussie's fiery video rant

READ MORE: Aussie Olympian realises medal win during live Instagram feed

He was defeated by the latest rising star, Chinese teenager Pan Zhanle, who took home gold in a world record swim.

Chalmers' rise to success saw he become the first man since Russian great Alexander Popov to win three individual medals in the 100m at the Olympics and cements his legacy in the events history.

His talent stuns those who watch but those who knew him before his success say they always knew Chalmers was going to become a champion in the pool.

"There was just something in him that I knew from the time he was nine," childhood coach Carolyn Veldhuyzen told Nine's Today.

"He actually came out of our school swimming lessons, he came out of the group that I was training. He learned really quickly, he had a great feel for the water and he picked things up really fast.

"It's more something that was innate in Kyle - his self-determination, drive and sense of fun. He just loved racing, loved his mates in the pool, loved the relays.

"He was a social swimmer as much as he was an individual swimmer - he loved his teammates and they are all still friends.

Watch every moment, every medal of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now. Plus, every event streaming ad free, live and on demand with 4K on Stan Sport.

"(I'm) excited, happy, and proud of him - like everybody else from Port Lincoln, we just love him.

"What you see is what you get. He is the same young man he was a nine-year-old."

Renowned for his blistering final laps, Chalmers' influence on the freestyle event has evidently swept the field.

The technique has stilled fears in the grand stands throughout his professional career, Veldhuyzen has never doubted his ability.

"I've always had faith in Kyle in everything that he does - he's pretty incredible," she said.

"There's a lot of factors and it's really hard to describe to the layman what it is.

"It's how they hold the water, their feel for the water, their body position in the water, the way the water flows around them and then it's that self-determination, drive and will to just push themselves and win."