Pop star-turned-swimmer Cody Simpson has continued to grow his meteorite after earning a place in Australia’s squad for the World Championships in the 100m butterfly event.
Simpson swam a 51.96 in the 100m butterfly final at the Australian Swimming Championships, a mark needed to qualify for the team, finishing third behind winners Matthew Temple (51.50) and Kyle Chalmers (51.67).
It was a stunning time for the 25-year-old, whose best time before reaching the 100-meter butterfly meet was 52.9. The Chalmers are set to miss the World Championships, which means Simpson could be selected for the team despite finishing third in the event.
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After his incredible efforts, Simpson called the Australian team a possibility to “make the dream come true”, backtracking on the suggestion that his return to the pool was merely a matter of publicity.
“It certainly wasn’t (a promotional stunt), it never was,” he told Amazon Prime Video.
“I had a great swim this morning and there’s been a lot of progress since last year. I’ve only been hurting my ass all year so it’s amazing to see results like this.
“I was hoping to get a little early tonight, but scraping down (qualifying time) is a real dream. I had no idea this meeting was going to happen, so I’m going through the roof.”
“I started training less than two years ago after only 10-11 years out of the water and I didn’t think I would be able to compete from afar or even race earlier this year. So potentially already a bonus on the way to Paris to build a team.”
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