Aussie swimmers Cameron McEvoy, Bronte Campbell reach 4th Olympics, singer Cody Simpson misses out
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — The Australian Olympic Committee has selected a 41-member swim team to represent Australia in the pool at the Paris Olympics, including Cameron McEvoy and Bronte Campbell, who will compete at their fourth games.
The team announced Saturday at the conclusion of the Olympic trials in Brisbane also features three athletes representing Australia at their third Olympics, 13 returning for their second games and 23 making their Olympic debuts.
The team includes Ariarne Titmus, who set a world record in the 200-meter freestyle on Wednesday at the Olympic trials.
But Cate Campbell’s Olympic career is over. The four-time gold medalist failed in her bid to become the first Australian to swim at five Olympics.
“I can leave the pool with my head held really high,” Campbell said. “I came back to try something that no one has done before.”
The 32-year-old Campbell finished seventh in the women’s 50-meter freestyle on Saturday night in Brisbane. Only the top two place-getters — Shayna Jack and Meg Harris — will race the event at the Paris Games starting on July 26.
Campbell, after missing qualifying for the 100-meter freestyle final by one-hundredth of a second on Friday, ended her Olympic career with four gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
International pop star Cody Simpson says he’ll return to the entertainment industry after his failure to make the Australian team. The 27-year-old Simpson, who put his music career on hold to return to the pool, finished fifth in the 100-meter butterfly final on Saturday.
“It’s bittersweet,” singer-guitarist Simpson said. “But I did what I could do — and that’s all you can do.”
Simpson’s mother Angie and father Brad both swam for Australia, at the 1987 Pan-Pacific Games and 1994 Commonwealth Games, respectively.
Simpson swam at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England and collected a gold medal as a heat swimmer in Australia’s winning 400-meter freestyle relay team.
___
AP Paris Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
