Cody Simpson’s classy sign off from Australia swimming after falling agonisingly short of living his Olympic dream

Pop star turned swimmer Cody Simpson has posted a classy farewell to the Australian swim team after falling agonisingly short of living his Olympic dream.

Simpson, a global teen pop star who halted his music career to return to the pool, missed selection on Australia’s team for the looming Paris Olympics.

The 27-year-old finish fifth in the 100m butterfly final at Australia’s selection trials in Brisbane, missing out on selection by less than half a second.

‘It’s bittersweet,’ Simpson said afterwards.

Simpson (pictured) put his singing career on hold to try and make it to the Olympics but had his dream squashed by less than half of a second

 ‘But I did what I could do – and that’s all you can do.’

In a classy Instagram post on Monday, Simpson said goodbye to swimming.

‘All you can do is everything you can to take what you’ve been given as far as you can take it,’ he wrote. 

‘You owe yourself the honour of cultivating your talents with as much fervour and intensity as you can.

‘The privilege of becoming what you’re capable of becoming. I left nothing to the unknown these past 4 years and I can now rest knowing I put my pedal to the floor every day and covered every other little detail to take this as far it could go and it sure went a hell of a ways. 

‘I made sure I was a gangster in my training, meticulous in my preparation and fearless in my competing every step of the way. I’m grateful for a huge run in the short amount of time I have been a professional athlete and I wouldn’t trade a moment.

‘I promise I will never stop trying to do special things with my life. Shoot for the moon.. land among the stars. My shot has landed me in a constellation of stars otherwise known as that elusive club, the Australian Swim Team, forever. Thank you swimming.’

Simpson signed off the Instagram post as ‘Australian Dolphin #838.’

Simpson (pictured with partner Emma McKeon) was a promising junior swimmer and, aged 12, won two gold medals at the Queensland state championships in 2009

Simpson said he tried his best to make the Olympic team and left nothing to the unknown

Simpson’s mother Angie and father Brad both swam for Australia, at the 1987 Pan-Pacific Games and 1994 Commonwealth Games respectively.

Simpson was a promising junior swimmer and, aged 12, won two gold medals at the Queensland state championships in 2009.

That year, the singer-guitarist posted some songs on YouTube and was discovered by an American music manager – his family moved to Los Angeles in 2010 and fame followed.

But four years ago, Simpson couldn’t ignore the itch to return to competitive swimming.

‘Just to do right by that kid in me … I wanted to come in these last four years and just have a real good go,’ he said.

‘To have the chance to be swimming for my country and make Australian teams and medal internationally … is just something that not a lot of swimmers get to achieve or get to experience.

‘And I have had the privilege to do that and that’s something that I’ll never forget and that nobody will ever be able take away from me.’