Commonwealth Games 2022: Cody Simpson misses out on 50m butterfly final
Cody Simpson’s first shot at a place in a Commonwealth Games final ended in disappointment — but the former pop star still has a huge opportunity ahead.
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Cody Simpson’s shock decision to abandon pop singing stardom for the lure of chlorine was cut short in his first race at the Commonwealth Games after struggling in Saturday morning’s semi-finals of the 50m butterfly.
But he wasn’t alone.
Australia’s other two hopefuls Matt Temple and Kyle Chalmers were ranked ninth and tenth fastest and will be reserves if someone pulls out.
Temple was fifth in his semi-final in 23.63s, while Chalmers was sixth in 23.65s.
Simpson, 25, was hoping to sing for joy, and not for his legion of fans, when he achieved a life long dream to compete at the highest levels of swimming for Australia.
But in the semi-final he was three-hundredths of a second off the time he clocked in the heats, and finished sixth in 23.87s.
The 50m distance was a bonus event for Simpson after Queenslander Isaac Cooper was sent home from the pre-Games training camp in France for several “wellbeing challenges, including the use of medication”.
But having an early feel for the pool will help Simpson adjust for his favourite event, the 100m butterfly.
“We will see how we go for tomorrow but either way, it is a good experience, getting to learn the process,’’ he said.
Despite missing the final, Simpson was pumped to be racing in front of a sellout crowd wearing the green and gold.
“It is pretty wild,” he said after his heat swim adding “it’s the fire that never left, never went out. An itch I had to scratch”.
Simpson had even parted ways with popstar Miley Cyrus to return back to Queensland and begin serious training to return to a junior sport he had abandoned ten years ago.
Adding spice to the event was that Chalmers, the ex-boyfriend of his current partner, the legendary Emma McKeon, also missed the cut.
Team insiders say the love triangle is not something that worries Chalmers, but the publicity and media focus on his rival, does.
McKeown was warming up for her own events on the first night of the Commonwealth finals — the first of what could be nine medals — and she missed Simpson’s big moment racing in front of a packed crowd.
SHOCK REASON SIMPSON’S MEDAL HOPES HAVE SKYROCKETED
Julian Linden
Pop star Cody Simpson’s chances of winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games have received a massive boost.
Simpson was considered only a slim chance of winning a medal in Birmingham after he initially qualified only for the 100m butterfly.
But the withdrawal of Isaac Cooper and a flood of late entries in the relays has opened up the real prospect that the former boyfriend of Miley Cyrus could swim up to four events in his international debut.
Simpson was gifted a spot in the 50m butterfly when Cooper was sent home for disciplinary reason but it’s the possibility of swimming in the relays that could be the key to his prospects of winning a medal because the Australians are considered shoo-ins to get on the podium barring a disqualification.
Originally told that there would be no heats in the relays at Birmingham, Australia’s selectors did not pick any reserve swimmers to compete in the heats.
But that has changed after organisers received a late surge of entries – meaning there will now be heats in the men’s and mixed relays – but not the women’s.
Under swimming rules, all swimmers who compete in either the heats or finals will get a medal if their teams finish in the top three – though only the four finalists receive them at the presentation.
The makeup of the relays has still not been decided but Simpson’s chances of getting a start have skyrocketed after Australian head coach Rohan Taylor he wanted to pick separate line-ups for the heats and finals to keep the top best swimmers fresh.
Australia has three male butterfly swimmers in Birmingham: Simpson, Kyle Chalmers and Matt Temple.
But with Chalmers certain to swim the freestyle leg in the medley relay, both Simpson and Temple could split the butterfly legs.
Simpson could also be picked for the 4x100m freestyle, where Australia can select up to eight different competitors.
Taylor would not be drawn on who will be in the teams but said Simpson had impressed everyone since joining the squad at training so all options were on the table.
“The medley relays will be picked on form so it goes down to where he finishes. We will have a heats team and a finals team so there’s an opportunity there for sure,” Taylor said.
“Cody has a really generous, humble personality, always smiling, always encouraging and supporting.
“He’s been fantastic, he’s fitted right in no problems. It’s been really enjoyable having him.”
Australia doesn’t always use fresh teams in relays but will in Birmingham because of fears of burnout.
Swimming’s world governing FINA scheduled a world championships in Budapest last month – at late notice without consulting athletes – and it has left many top competitors exhausted and officials trying to find ways to keep them from breaking down.
“It absolutely puts pressure on them. Their careers are built on performance,” Taylor said.
“We’re about the wellbeing of the whole person but the reality is they have to peak for big events and when you are putting things back to back to back, it becomes quite difficult.
“It’s great to have an opportunity to race but you have to be mindful of what the fallout might be.”
Two of Australia’s very best – Emma McKeon and Ariarne Titmus – both skipped the world championships while Kyle Chalmers did go to Budapest but did not enter the individual 100m freestyle.
Chalmers took a break for his mental health after the Australian trials in May but Taylor said he was in a much better frame of mind now.
“He’s an exceptional relay swimmer, we know that. He always steps up. Individually, he’s got an opportunity here,” Taylor said.
“He’s had time to train for this competition, to put more work in the bank, and swim the 100m free. That’s his chance to match up, look at what they did at worlds, and say this is me.
“Kyle is a true competitor. He loves to get up and race. He will put his best foot forward and he’s got some motivation to do that.”
TITMUS CELEBRATION WILL BE MILD COMPARED TO A WINNINGTON VICTORY
If you thought Dean Boxall went nuts when Ariarne Titmus beat Katie Ledecky to win the women’s 400m freestyle at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, just wait and see what he does if Elijah Winnington triumphs in the men’s equivalent at the Commonwealth Games.
The most flamboyant Aussie swim coach since Laurie Lawrence, Boxall just can’t stop himself from getting caught up in the excitement whenever his swimmers perform on the big stage. His spontaneous celebrations when Titmus won in Tokyo went viral on social media. But not everyone liked it, copping a lot of flak for his “toxic masculinity”.
So when Winnington won the gold at last month’s world championships in Budapest, Boxall was nowhere to be seen, but that’s not because he wasn’t going crazy.
“I was actually worse than I was with ‘Arnie’,” Boxall told News Corp.
“I just hid away from the media this time.
“I went behind where you were sitting, so you couldn’t see me.
“I actually had more room to run and run so I was kicking, screaming and going nuts because, after what happened to Elijah last year, that was an unbelievable turnaround.”
Now that Boxall’s not-so secret hiding destination is out in the open, he won’t have anywhere to hide in the English Midlands if Winnington wins the gold and his coach loses it.
Boxall doesn’t play favourites with any of his swimmers, but his bond with Winnington is like a father-son relationship.
Winnington was heartbroken when he went to Tokyo last year ranked No. 1 in the world, but struggled with the pressure and missed a medal in the 400m.
He took it hard, and almost quit the sport before having a heart-to-heart talk with Boxall, who suggested he seek some professional help.
Winnington agreed, and now works with Glen Fisher – who he describes as his mind coach – and the transformation has been astounding.
“A lot of it is support around me,” Winnington said. “It’s all about the mental game, self-talk and self-belief is everything.
“It’s about enjoyment. If you’re not having fun, why the hell are you swimming anyway? It’s not about the goal, it’s about enjoying it. So that’s the way I live by.” Boxall couldn’t be prouder of the way Winnington has turned everything around and believes there are no limits now on what he can do if he stays happy. His winning time in Budapest was 3:41.22 – the fastest in the world for a decade – making him the odds-on pick to win in Birmingham and the early favourite to land the ultimate prize at the 2024 Paris Olympics. “It’s been a really good momentum shift and he’s in a good place now,” Boxall said.
“The monkey is off his back, in terms of wanting to be No. 1, but now he’s got a target on his back, which is a beautiful thing as well.
“Everyone wants to attack the world champion. Its like Ledecky, it’s like Caeleb (Dressel) but now he’s got that belief and the confidence.”
The Commonwealth Games is an important stepping stone for Winnington, but it’s also a return to where it all started after he won a gold medal in the relay on the Gold Coast in 2018.
Originally published as Commonwealth Games 2022: Cody Simpson misses out on 50m butterfly final
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