Cody Simpson reveals the shocking Olympics moment that inspired him to swap pop for swimming

Cody Simpson reveals the shocking moment that inspired him to swap pop stardom for a swimming career – as he aims for Olympic glory


Cody Simpson is working hard to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

On Saturday, the 24-year-old revealed the Australian swimming moments that inspired him to trade the stage for the swimming pool. 

One of those inspirations was Grant Hackett’s 1500m win at the 2004 Athens Olympics, which the Australian singer achieved with a partially collapsed lung. 

Inspired: Cody Simpson (pictured) is working hard to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. On Saturday, the 24-year-old revealed the Australian swimming moments that inspired him to trade the stage for the swimming pool

‘He’s a long-time friend of the family and he just smashed it. That swim just showed how resilient he is,’ Cody told The Daily Telegraph. 

He also cited Michael Phelps breaking the 50 second record in the 100m butterfly in Rome in 2009 as influential to him.  

‘That swim was about redemption. There was a fair bit of controversy when Phelps won Olympic gold the year before by one-hundredth of a second… and a lot of people thought that wasn’t the right result. 

Wow! One of those inspirations was Grant Hackett's 1500m win at the 2004 Athens Olympics, which the Australian singer achieved with a partially collapsed lung (pictured)

Wow! One of those inspirations was Grant Hackett’s 1500m win at the 2004 Athens Olympics, which the Australian singer achieved with a partially collapsed lung (pictured) 

Hero: 'He's a long-time friend of the family and he just smashed it. That swim just showed how resilient he is,' Cody told The Daily Telegraph

Hero: ‘He’s a long-time friend of the family and he just smashed it. That swim just showed how resilient he is,’ Cody told The Daily Telegraph

‘It was such a super-cool race, and I still watch it,’ he added. 

Cody also listed Australian swimmer Jon Sieben wining the 200m butterfly at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. 

In April, Cody placed ninth in his heat at the Australian National Championships, with a time of 24.79 seconds. 

Trying: In April, Cody placed ninth in his heat at the Australian National Championships, with a time of 24.79 seconds

Trying: In April, Cody placed ninth in his heat at the Australian National Championships, with a time of 24.79 seconds

Speaking to Newscorp at the time, he said he was ‘dusting himself off’ following the defeat.

He claimed his two weeks in quarantine could have contributed to a loss in his optimal pool performance.

‘I probably would have liked to have gone a little quicker, but it was the first race back in a long time and I’ve only just come out of quarantine,’ he said.  

Still on: Speaking to Newscorp at the time, he said he was 'dusting himself off' following the defeat

Still on: Speaking to Newscorp at the time, he said he was ‘dusting himself off’ following the defeat 

Cody continued: ‘Two weeks out of the water sets you back quite a while, but I had to get through the quarantine at some point.’   

‘I just wanted to get up and at least do the 50m to dust myself off.’

Before returning to swimming, Cody was best known for his music career and his string of famous girlfriends, which include Miley Cyrus.

His pop career peaked in the early 2010s when he cracked the charts with singles like ‘iYiYi’ and ‘On My Mind’.

Fame: Cody is also known for his music and his string of famous girlfriends, which include Miley Cyrus (left)

Fame: Cody is also known for his music and his string of famous girlfriends, which include Miley Cyrus (left)