- Olympic hopefuls competing at Australian swimming championships
- The equation has become simple for Simpson to live his Olympic dream
- Signs look good for Australian swimmers ahead of Paris
Only one second will determine whether Cody Simpson will be able to live his Olympic dream in Paris over the next eight weeks.
Simpson, once known for his career as a pop singer, has considered retirement and is struggling to achieve his Olympic fairy tale in Paris.
And now the equation is clear for Australian superfish partner Emma McKeon, get a second faster and book your ticket to the Games.
The 26-year-old is part of a large Australian contingent competing at the Australian Swimming Championships on the Gold Coast, where he finished fourth in the 100m butterfly, with a time half a second slower than his personal best.
Simpson’s challenge is difficult. She needs to improve her time by a full second to have a chance of going to the Olympics, especially in the highly competitive 100-meter butterfly.
Former pop star Cody Simpson has to find another second of rhythm to make his Olympic dream come true in Paris
Simpson finished fourth at the Australian Championships, but was a second off his fastest pace.
Simpson is competing with several younger swimmers in good shape, but could still make the Olympics on the 100m freestyle relay team.
His main competitors are putting in strong performances, with Matt Temple leading the pack and others like Shaun Champion and Ben Armbruster also vying for a place on the Olympic team.
Before turning to swimming, Simpson had a successful music career, collaborating with stars like Justin Bieber and dating well-known figures like Miley Cyrus.
However, she decided to leave the glamorous life of a pop star behind to focus on swimming, with the goal of fulfilling her childhood dream of competing in the Olympic Games.
Simpson’s best chance of making the Olympics might be in the 100-meter freestyle. If she can place among the top six swimmers in this event, she could join the men’s world champion relay team, clearing her way to Paris.
With the Olympic trials in Brisbane approaching on June 10, Simpson has just eight weeks to make it happen.
Meanwhile, in other results from the Australian swimming championships, Cameron McEvoy edged out Kyle Chalmers in a highly anticipated 50m freestyle final, securing a win with a time of 21.93 seconds.
McEvoy attributes his surge in form ahead of the Paris Olympics to a new training program
Titmus won the 400m freestyle with the fastest time of the year, marking his first sub-four-minute swim in competition.
Strauch dominated all three distances in the women’s breaststroke and is a great hope for the Australian team in Paris.
McEvoy, who previously achieved global success, attributes his performance to unconventional training methods that focus on strength work outside the pool.
“It’s good, 22.1 last year and it’s always good to get to 21, it’s good to have that under my belt,” McEvoy told the Nine Network.
“There are eight weeks left and everything is looking good.”
Meanwhile, Ariarne Titmus demonstrated his Olympic readiness by winning the 400m freestyle with the fastest time of the year, marking his first competitive swim under four minutes.
“This is my first time in less than four (minutes) on the job, which is really good… it’s a good sign,” he said.
“I know a lot of people are willing to accept me and I’m just trying to use it in the best way possible.”
Jenna Strauch dominated the breaststroke events and won gold in three distances.
Matt Temple won the 100m butterfly, experimenting with new race strategies. Kaylee McKeown and Will Petric also claimed victories in their respective events, highlighting their potential for upcoming competitions.