Paris Olympics 2024: Cody Simpson wins 100m QLD state title, Emma McKeon’s preparations hit early hurdle

Cody Simpson has sent a message at the Queensland state titles, claiming an important win to show he means business about being on the plane to the Paris Olympics.

Cody Simpson has kickstarted his Olympic campaign with a win in the 100m butterfly at the Queensland state titles, dipping under his previous best time to claim an important benchmark six months out from Games trials.

The former prince of pop beat the field home by almost a second to touch the wall in 51.67sec to claim his first individual open gold medal.

Simpson qualified fastest for the final, setting the pace through the morning heats in 52.11sec, less than half a second outside his best time.

But coach Michael Bohl had wanted an improved effort in the final and got it, with Simpson shaving three hundredths from his previous best to push to equal ninth on the Australian rankings with Olympian Chris Wright.

Simpson beat home Shaun Champion (Abbotsleigh, NSW) 52.55 and Ben Armbruster (Bond) 52.72 and said it was always great to drop time off a PB “anytime you race.”

“I’m so glad it was here tonight, it’s awesome to be looking forward to Olympic trials, it’s really important to race well,” he said.

“I grew up racing in this pool and it’s great to get a Queensland open championship tonight.”

Cody Simpson on his way to a win in the 100m butterfly at the Queensland State championships at Chandler.

But Simpson will need to slice another half a second from his ‘fly time if he is to meet qualification criteria for the Games, as well as be among the top two in the final at trials.

It’s not impossible but it’s a big chunk of time in a sprint event and Simpson will need everything to go right if he is to meet the mark.

Alexandra Perkins (57.48) took out the women’s 100m fly ahead of Brianna Throssell (57.53) in a tight encounter, the pair beating Japan’s Rikako Ikee to the wall, with all three dipping under the 58sec mark.

Ikee and Japanese national teammate Daiya Seto have been training with Bohl’s Griffith University squad on the Gold Coast for the past three months, with Ikee and Emma McKeon putting each other through their paces.

McKeon was forced to withdraw from the state titles with a minor tear in a muscle under her armpit.

Meanwhile, Ariarne Titmus has capped a tumultuous last three months with a win in the 400m freestyle, the world record holder beating New Zealand’s Eve Thomas to the wall by more than three seconds just three months after surgery.

Ariarne Titmus picked up a win.

Mollie O’Callaghan showed her durability, finishing third.

“I didn’t think I’d come to states and actually put together a couple of decent swims, so I’m happy to get the four (hundred) done and the B final of the 100m later,” Titmus said.

The Olympic champion was just under nine seconds outside her world mark in 4:04.25 but given she had tumours removed from her ovary just 12 weeks ago, it’s a remarkable effort.

Sam Short also added the Queensland title to his world 400m crown, beating Elijah Winnington at the wall, out-touching the 2022 world champ by 0.23sec.

Shayna Jack won the women’s 100m freestyle, beating a world-class field to the wall.

Jack won in 52.76, saying she just hung on to get to the wall after swimming the 100m butterfly earlier in the night.

The time may be well outside her best but she was the only swimmer to dip under the 53sec mark and beat home Olympic and world relay champion Meg Harris (53.03), Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist in the event Cate Campbell (53.23) and dual world 100m champ Mollie O’Callaghan (53.27).

The final shows Australia’s incredible depth in the event, with Jack’s winning time, in hard work, still ranking in the top 20 this year, with Jack herself owning three faster marks.

“I just wanted to get out there and see what I had after the 100m fly earlier tonight,” Jack said.

“We’re all at different stages (of preparation) and I just wanted to give myself the best chance of getting my hand on the wall first and I did that.

“I think a lot of people are just coming out this week and giving it a crack and I’m really proud of myself ... It’s all experience.”

Campbell’s time was a “comeback PB”, the fastest she has swum over 100m since her post-Tokyo sabbatical and shows her aim of becoming the first Australian swimmer to head to five Olympics is no pipe dream.

While there were some more experienced heads in the women’s event, the men’s 100m marked a passing of the guard, with Kai Taylor taking the title just ahead of men’s 200m champ Max Guiliani.

Taylor, the son of triple Olympian Hayley Lewis, won in 48.86, just touching out fellow 20-year-old Guiliani (48.90).

Ed Sommerville was third (49.41), with Olympian Jack Cartwright (49.56) and Cody Simpson (49.63) also dipping under 50.

MCKEON’S OLYMPIC PREPARATIONS SUFFER EARLY BLOW

Emma McKeon will hit the road in the new year to kickstart her Paris Olympic campaign after being forced to withdraw from the Queensland state championships with a muscle tear.

Gold Coast-based McKeon was forced out of the Queensland titles as a precautionary measure on the advice of the Australian swim team and Queensland Academy of Sport physios after scans confirmed a small tear in a muscle under her armpit.

McKeon’s coach Michael Bohl said the Tokyo 50m and 100m freestyle champion had been managing a minor tear under her armpit “for some weeks” and her physio had advised her to err on the side of caution and not rush back into competition.

The Queensland championships mark the traditional starting point for many of the nation’s best swimmers heading into an Olympic year, with many of the sport’s biggest names undertaking massive programs at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre at Chandler this week.

Emma McKeon with one of her five Olympic gold medals. Picture: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP

McKeon had been expected to compete in the 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle on Monday but withdrew from both events.

The 29-year-old has been making steady progress in both the 50m and 100m but heading into an Olympic year, the priority is maintaining health and fitness and the minor risk of doing further damage was not worth taking.

To ensure she gets the competition she needs though, McKeon is likely to head to the Victorian and NSW state titles and will take part in the Australian championships on the Gold Coast as well as the Sydney Open before the Olympic trials in June.

Her presence at the state meets will be a boon for fans and competitors alike.

Queensland boasts most of Australia’s top swimmers though and the state titles are always stacked heading into an Olympic year.

While she is expected to make a swift recovery from the injury, McKeon missed the opportunity this week to race against crack fields in the 50m and 100m freestyle including dual world champion Mollie O’Callaghan, Olympic medallist Cate Campbell and world championship medallist Shayna Jack.

Given the rise of O’Callaghan and her Tokyo gold medal-winning relay teammate Meg Harris, rejuvenation of Jack and return of Cate and Bronte Campbell, McKeon will need to be at her scintillating best to earn the right to defend her individual Olympic titles in Paris.

Earlier in Monday’s program, McKeon’s partner Cody Simpson qualified fastest for tonight’s final of the 100m butterfly in a time less than half a second outside his best and also made the 100m freestyle decider.

Originally published as Paris Olympics 2024: Cody Simpson wins 100m QLD state title, Emma McKeon’s preparations hit early hurdle