Australian Swimming World Championship Trials 2023: Cody Simpson misses qualification for 50m butterfly, but has two more chances to make national team
The popstar-turned-swimmer finished second in the morning heats and placed fourth in final behind winner Cameron McEvoy. The national trials run from 13 to 18 June and are shown live on 9 Network and 9Now in Australia.
Swimming
Cody Simpson has missed out on his first chance to be among the Australian athletes going to the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in July, but has two more opportunities to make the national squad.
The popstar-turned-swimmer was second in the morning heats of his first event at the Australian World Championship Trials, the men's 50m butterfly, but while he managed to shave 0.13 seconds off in the evening, his final result of 23.48 seconds put him in fourth place.
Three-time Olympic bronze medallist Cameron McEvoy set the winning time in the heats and the final.
Simpson has two more events in which he can qualify for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, the men’s 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly. The heats and finals of these events will be held on 16 and 18 June, respectively.
Going to Fukuoka: Kai Taylor eager to repeat famous mother’s feat
The finals of the men’s 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle, and the women’s 100m breaststroke and 100m backstroke were also held on Wednesday, 14 June.
Three-time Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown passed the test with ease, finishing first in the her signature event, the women’s 100m backstroke, almost a second ahead of fellow Olympic champion Mollie O’Callaghan.
Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Isaac Cooper won the men’s 100m backstroke, while Kai Taylor was victorious in the men’s 200m freestyle.
The 200m freestyle holds a lot of personal symbolism for 19-year-old Taylor. His mother, three-time Olympian Hayley Lewis, won the women’s event at the world championships in 1991.
Taylor will have a chance to add another gold medal in the 200m freestyle to the family collection when he races in Fukuoka in July, but it was a close cut to make the team going there. The teenager finished ninth in the morning heats and would have missed the final if not for Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers dropping out after setting the winning time in the morning.
With Chalmers out, Taylor moved into lane 8 for the final and took 2.12 seconds off his heat time to finish ahead of the pack, which also included Olympic bronze medallists Alexander Graham and Thomas Neill.
Tokyo 2020 Olympian Abbey Harkin won the women’s 100m breaststroke.
Full results from the first two days of competition can be seen here.