Johanna Griggs has taken a swipe at Kyle Chalmers after he threatened to stop swimming if “fake news” continued to circulate about a feud between him and Cody Simpson.
The Australian swimming champion, 48, said Kyle was “feeding the media” and he was making a “bigger story” out of his alleged feud with his team-mate.
“The only person who might possibly derail – although it certainly didn’t look like it this morning in his 100m freestyle – might be Kyle himself, he seems to be feeding it,” Johanna told Triple M’s Breakfast with MG, Jess & Pagey .
Australian swimming champion Johanna Griggs (pictured) slapped Kyle Chalmers, saying he was “feeding the media” and making a “bigger story” out of his alleged feud with Cody Simpson.
She continued, “It’s the ironic thing about all these situations. You can’t expect the headlines to always be great.”
“You have to accept that sometimes, sometimes it’s about other people and sometimes it doesn’t necessarily show you in the same light.”
Johanna went on to say she hopes Kyle will stop feeding it as he encourages the headlines.
“So I kind of hope Kyle stops feeding it. I understand that he’s feeling incredibly overwhelmed at the moment and that he can’t cope,” she continued.
“But every time he mentions it, he makes a bigger story out of it,” she added.
“You have to accept that occasionally, sometimes it’s about other people and sometimes it doesn’t necessarily show you in the same light. So I’m kinda hoping Kyle stops feeding it. “I understand that he feels incredibly overwhelmed at the moment and that he can’t handle it,” said Johanna
Rumors of a rift between Kyle and Cody have dominated the last few pages in the run-up to last month’s World Cup and have been the main topic of conversation surrounding the Australian team’s success at the Commonwealth Games.
After qualifying for the men’s 100m freestyle semifinals on Sunday night, 24-year-old Kyle showed how tough the last 24 hours had been from a psychological standpoint.
“I’m having a hard time getting up and swimming this morning,” he told Seven in an emotional interview.
“That’s probably one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to face. I think the media doesn’t know, as I said on Instagram, how much of an impact it has on athletes and [their] Mental health.
Rumors of a rift between Kyle and Cody (pictured) have dominated the last few pages in the run-up to last month’s World Cup and have been the main talking point so far surrounding the Australian team’s success at the Commonwealth Games
“It took all my courage and energy for me to stand behind the blocks and swim this morning.
‘It’s not something I wanted to do, it’s not something I wanted to go through, to be honest I’ve been looking forward to this moment for so long and worked hard to be here for such a long time.’
He then repeated rumors of a frosty relationship between him and Simpson, and the media attention given to alleged swim team friction had prompted him to consider quitting the sport.
“Because how it’s played out, yeah, definitely makes me question my future in the sport,” he added.
After qualifying for the men’s 100m freestyle semifinals on Sunday night, Kyle revealed how tough the past 24 hours had been from a psychological standpoint
“I mean, I didn’t come into the sport to have to deal with something like that. I’m standing there and I’m going to be interviewed for probably 20 minutes and not a word has been said about how we broke the Commonwealth record and won the gold medal last night, not a word about it.
“So for me it’s heartbreaking.
“I have no reason to even stop and talk to the media, I’m just doing it to make people happy. Now it’s about expressing the truth and my actual feelings, but yes I do and will think about what’s next for me now.
Kyle also claimed the negative attention took a toll on his teammates and stole the spotlight from their performances, blaming the media for “ruining it for all of us.”
He then repeated rumors of a frosty relationship between him and Cody, and the media attention given to alleged swim team friction had prompted him to consider quitting the sport