Pop star turned Olympic swim hopeful Cody Simpson MISSES first chance to secure a spot in Dolphins squad ahead of Paris Games
- Cody Simpson failed to qualify for the 100m freestyle final
- National swimming trials in Brisbane ahead of the Paris Games
- Ex-pop star Simpson, 27, is also competing in the 100m butterfly
Former world pop star and swimmer Cody Simpson has failed in his daring bid to become an Olympian.
Simpson, 27, who returned to the pool four years ago, missed out on a place in the men’s 100m freestyle final at the Australian selection trials in Brisbane.
Kyle Chalmers, Olympic champion in the event in 2016 and silver medalist at the 2021 Tokyo Games, topped the qualifying times but then declared he had partially botched the race.
Simpson finished in 10th place in the heats with a time of 49.04 seconds. The eighth fastest, Max Giuliani, secured a place in the final by clocking 48.90.
The 27-year-old, who paused his pop career to return to swimming, has one more chance to make the Australian swimming team for next month’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Former world pop star Cody Simpson has failed in his first attempt to become an Olympian
Simpson, 27, who returned to the pool four years ago, has missed out on a place in the men’s 100m freestyle final at the Australian selection trials in Brisbane
Simpson (pictured, with Australian superstar swimmer girlfriend Emma McKeon) finished 10th in the 100m freestyle with a time of 49.04 seconds
Simpson’s favorite sprint race – the 100m butterfly – will be held in Brisbane on June 15
Simpson will compete in his favorite 100-meter butterfly on Saturday.
“It’s a stacked field in the 100 free, so I knew getting to that final was going to be a little iffy,” he said.
‘It’s a good warm-up for the 100 flies. ‘I’ve had some really good training over the last six months, absolutely whipping myself.
‘Swimming is difficult. You train for a very long time for very marginal gains, sometimes microscopic.
“I’ve just been banging against the wall to get to that next level. And the faster you get, the harder it is to keep getting faster.”
Chalmers hit the ball in 48.39, ahead of William Yang (48.50) and Flynn Southam (48.64).
“I probably didn’t do my best… there are definitely some areas where I can improve,” he said, looking ahead to the final.
“I’ll really push myself… it has to be self-directed and self-motivated.”
Elsewhere, Kaylee McKeown topped the times in the 200m backstroke heats.
The reigning Olympic champion and world record holder of the event finished in two minutes and 08.83 seconds, while Hannah Fredericks (2:10.19) was the next fastest.
