- Simpson plans return to entertainment
- The swimmer was previously a teen pop star.
- Simpson missed selection for the Paris Games
Cody Simpson says he is returning to the entertainment industry after a bittersweet failure to make Australia’s Olympic swimming team.
Simpson, a global teen pop star who paused her music career to return to the pool, was not selected in Australia’s team for the impending Paris Olympics.
The 27-year-old finished fifth in the 100m butterfly final at the Australian selection trials in Brisbane on Saturday night.
“It’s bittersweet,” Simpson said.
Cody Simpson (pictured) says he will return to the entertainment industry after failing to make Australia’s Olympic swimming team.
Simpson was a global teen pop star who paused her music career to return to the pool.
“But I did what I could do, and that’s all you can do.”
Simpson’s mother Angie and father Brad swam for Australia, at the 1987 Pan-Pacific Games and the 1994 Commonwealth Games, respectively.
Simpson was a promising junior swimmer and, at age 12, won two gold medals at the 2009 Queensland state championships.
That year, the singer and guitarist posted some songs on YouTube and was discovered by an American music manager: his family moved to Los Angeles in 2010 and fame followed.
But four years ago, Simpson couldn’t ignore the desire to return to competitive swimming.
“Just to do right by that kid in me…I wanted to come these last four years and have a really good opportunity,” he said.
“Having the opportunity to swim for my country and be part of Australian teams and win medals internationally… is something not many swimmers achieve or experience.”
“And I’ve had the privilege of doing it and that’s something I’ll never forget and no one can ever take away from me.”
Simpson (pictured with partner Emma McKeon) was a promising junior swimmer and, aged 12, won two gold medals at the 2009 Queensland state championships.
Simpson swam at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham to a gold medal as a seed swimmer in Australia’s triumphant 4x100m freestyle relay.
“I feel really proud… to satisfy the fire that was inside me to compete and swim again and push myself in training,” he said.
‘The discipline, resilience and perseverance that swimming has instilled in me again is something that I am very excited to implement in my future endeavors because it has helped me grow a lot.
“And how can I bring that back to music and entertainment and see what I can do; there are some exciting projects lined up for after this that I was going to come back and do regardless of how this week went.”