Cody takes a stand
SIMPSON’S SWIMMING IS ON SONG AND HE’S COMFORTABLE WITH HIS NEW TITLE
Cody Simpson says he’s become more renowned as a swimmer than a musician and he’s fine with that. The rising star, who once dated singer Miley Cyrus and is now in a relationship with the queen of the pool, Emma McKeon, has just been part of Duel in the Pool following the Commonwealth Games.
“It’s already shifting in that sense, at least here in Australia, because I’m around so much as that now (a swimmer) the titles seem to have flipped, which I don’t mind at all,’’ Simpson says.
“I identify with that and I’m lucky to have two passions.”
Simpson’s newfound status also stems from his romance with McKeon, which has made them the golden couple of the sport.
They are in the midst of two weeks off together and have become inseparable.
“I have a very brief holiday and I’m ready to not hit a pool for a little bit,’’ he says.
“I don’t know (what I’m doing) and that’s what I love most about it. Emma has it off, too, so we’ll spend time together.
“I feel like every time I look over, she is racing. She has a harder job than I do but she is handling it awesome.”
Simpson, a vocal environmentalist, is joining the launch of the nationwide Stand Up Against Street Harassment campaign and intervention program, an initiative by L’Oréal Paris in partnership with girls’ rights charity Plan International Australia.
It also has support from Jessica Mauboy, Maria Thattil and Tarang Chawla.
“Males can speak to other males about spreading awareness and caution around it,’’ Simpson says. “I want to make the world a safer place for women and people everywhere.
“It helps our mums and sisters feel better and safer ... it’s still a prevalent issue. It’s nice to lend my voice to a different kind of a cause.”
In the pool, the 25-year-old Queenslander has already ticked off everything he aimed for when it came to his Commonwealth Games campaign, competing in his pet event – the 100m butterfly – where he lined up alongside Aussie national champion Matt Temple.
He came away with a gold and a silver medal for swimming in the heats of the 4x100m men’s freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay.
In his individual event, Simpson finished fifth in the men’s 100m butterfly final in a time of 52.06 seconds, just outside his personal best of 51.79 seconds.
“I want to inspire young people to know that they can do whatever it is they want to do, even if they feel like it’s too late or they’re too old to pick something up, because it’s never too late,” he says.
He says he is well ahead of where he thought he would be in his dream of chasing a medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
“I think with experience comes confidence. And I’m still gathering the experience, so still gaining confidence,” he says.
“I am happy to be here. And I think, win or lose, I’m going to go back to the drawing board and make sure I come back stronger. I’m already way ahead of where I thought I would be at this stage.
“For me, the very act of training morning and night and the thrill of racing is rewarding enough – but to walk away from my international swimming debut with a gold and silver medal is something beyond articulation for now.”
Simpson has also been busy with another passion project and getting into the fashion world.
The gender-inclusive collection he has been preparing for two years is called Prince Neptune.
“I am 100 per cent committed to swimming,” he says. “But if that was the only thing on my mind I would probably get a bit lost in it.
“I don’t get to dress up that much because I’m always either in a Speedo or gym gear six days of the week between the pool, training, racing, or just at home.
“I wanted to have things I could wear in my life.
“The way Prince Neptune makes me feel seems to balance everything else I’m doing. Creative endeavours like this for me tap into a different part of my brain that I don’t get to with swimming and sport. It does the same thing for me as making an album.”