Commonwealth Games: Pop star Cody Simpson reminisces on his ‘first love’ of swimming
The Aussie has enjoyed enviable careers in two contrasting worlds.
Aussie pop star Cody Simpson has reminisced on his “first love” of swimming as the countdown to the Commonwealth Games enters its final days.
An impressive swimmer as a child, Simpson abandoned his burgeoning sports career to pursue music and moved to the US with his family in his early teens.
The multi-hyphenate talent enjoyed a successful music career in which he released four studio albums and collaborated with stars such as Justin Bieber and Flo Rida, before returning to the pool in 2019 for a second crack at competitive swimming.
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“2 years on from my time in this beautiful sport already. I’m so grateful to have returned to my first love and achieved the childhood dream,” he wrote.
“I can sleep peacefully forever. It was so important to me.”
Simpson shared several images representing his time at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham representing Australia, including the gold medal he won as a member of the squad that won the Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay.
He had swum in the heats of that event and was not recalled for the final.
Simpson also claimed silver in the 4x100m Medley Relay, and placed fifth in the final of the 100m Butterfly.
The music star also shared a black and white image of himself taken in his pre-teens, accompanied by a blue love heart emoji.
The ambitious Aussie announced his retirement from the sport upon failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
He has since returned to performing and writing music, and appears to have relocated to California in recent months.
However, in a blow to his plans, Simpson has been recovering from an injury to his vocal cords, as well as his knee, with the latter resulting from a dislocation suffered while rehearsing for a music video.
The singer released single Baby Blue / When It Comes To Loving You in March, and Fluent earlier this month.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will commence on Thursday and run until August 2.
Originally published on PerthNow
