When Cody Simpson told those close to him in mid-2020 he was going to swap his guitar for the black line of a swimming pool, he only had eyes for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
All the doubters who thought Simpson wouldn’t have enough time to be any good were proved wrong when the pop star, who’d spent his younger years dreaming of becoming an Olympian, made Australia’s Commonwealth Games team last year.
Simpson thought he’d qualified for the world championships last year in Budapest. That was until Kyle Chalmers, who finished ahead of Simpson, backflipped and decided he actually wanted to swim the 100m butterfly, which is Simpson’s best event.
On Sunday, Simpson gets his chance to break into the Dolphins team for next month’s world championships in Fukuoka. It might be a fraction too soon, but it’ll be a good gauge of where he’s at.
The men’s 100m butterfly shapes as a fascinating race, pitting Simpson against Chalmers and Matt Temple, Australia’s undisputed male butterfly king.
Last year, Simpson came third at the Australian trials. With Australia able to send three swimmers in each event to the Commonwealth Games, it was a sigh of relief for Simpson.
Cody Simpson lines up for the 50m butterfly final on Wednesday.Credit: Getty
Chalmers ended up pulling out of the 100m butterfly at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as Simpson finished fifth overall in a time of 52.06s.
This week, only two spots are up for grabs.
Temple is the hot favourite, given he holds the Australian record (50.45s), while Chalmers (51.67s) has a faster personal best than Simpson (51.78s). Shaun Champion, David Morgan and Ben Armbruster will also be primed and ready to go.
After Simpson competed at the Australian Swimming Championships on Gold Coast in April, some media reports suggested his Olympic dream was done.
Cody Simpson and Emma McKeon at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.Credit: Getty
In the 100m butterfly final, Simpson touched the wall in eighth place in 53.48s. His time was 1.7 seconds outside his personal best that he clocked in December. Few people knew Simpson had been battling illness, and all signs suggest he’s ready to fire when it matters most on the final night of competition at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
There is also the added fuel that Simpson is now dating Emma McKeon, who was once with Chalmers.
“He’s got to give it a shot and see what happens. He’s in the mix,” said Simpson’s coach, Michael Bohl. “He’s had big drops and we see what he’s capable of.
“Matt Temple is a stratosphere ahead of everyone else. Cody has to be top two. Everyone knows the rules. There’s no pressure on him here. He’s just got to get up and try and swim a personal best. He was flat as for that meet [on the Gold Coast] but his eyes are on this one.”
Even if Simpson doesn’t make the Australian team, it won’t affect his primary objective of becoming an Olympian next year. Australia’s Olympic trials take place next year from June 10 to 15.
It would go close to being the story of the Games if Simpson could transition from teenage heartthrob to a swimmer on the biggest stage of all.
“Next year is the focus, but he’s just got to try and improve,” Bohl said. “That’s the name of the game. He’s not way out of it. He’s not a definite [selection]. He’s got work to do.”
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