‘I Quit Drinking That Night’: How Caeleb Dressel, Breaking Michael Phelps’ Record, Inspired Cody Simpson’s Career Change

“We cannot impose limits on anything. The more you dream, the more you move forward.–The words of Michael Phelps still ring true to the masses. These words ring true for pop sensation Cody Simpson, who was waiting for The Masked Singer to begin on television when his life changed in the blink of an eye. Simpson has done everything from pop icon status to elite swimmer. There is now a common thread to all of this. Ace swimmer Caeleb Dressel also has him to thank. Thousands of miles away, in Gwanju, Caeleb Dressel made history by usurping the Baltimore Bullet. Dressel broke the 100m butterfly record held by Michael Phelps at the 2019 FINA World Swimming Championships, beating Phelps’ record by half a second with a time of 49.50s.

Transfixed by the races, Simpson realized that Dressel was about his age and decided it was not too late to resurrect his own Olympic dream. Today, Cody Simpson has his last chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics, battling time and competition to achieve his swimming dream. How will Paris adapt to the pop icon turned swimmer extraordinaire? What made him resort to the pool again?

Cody Simpson has not one but two benefactors to thank

According to a 2021 interview with The New York Times, swimmer Cody Simpson explained how exactly Caeleb Dressel inspired his career. Long before Cody Simpson became a singing sensation, the Queensland native was a swimmer. As a schoolboy he had also set several records. In 2019, while watching the World Swimming Championships, he became fascinated by one swimmer in particular. – Caeleb Dressel, who is only five months older than Simpson. Additionally, Dressel had just broken a world record that was previously held by Cody’s idol, Michael Phelps. The singer-turned-swimmer has had a transformative journey.

He then said to himself that perhaps there was still time to bring to life a long-forgotten dream: to participate in the Olympic Games. Simpson said: “I stopped drinking that night and started finding pools the next day.” It took Simpson some time to take the necessary steps to meet the qualifying standards for the Australian Olympic trials in the 100m butterfly event. In his second race of the day, he beat the required time at a San Diego meet in the 200m freestyle. Cody Simpson’s emergence into the world of swimming has been much faster than anyone could have imagined.

Cody Simpson’s admiration for Dressel is well deserved. As an 8-time record holder, in four individual events and four relay events. During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, he won 5 gold medals, a feat many envy. Now, with fatherhood also on his plate, he hopes to leave a dent in Paris. Although Simpson has yet to surpass Dressel’s level of success or talent, they share the same dominant allele: laser-focused on the end goal. Although it was difficult for Simpson to become a swimmer overnight, he had completed a complete 360°, which may well be the X-factor needed for the Olympics.

Cody Simpson in the running for an Olympic spot thanks to his peripheral vision

Cody Simpson had dedicated himself to a strict workout regime. He trains 15-16 workouts every week under his trainer Brett Hawke. In 2022, he joined the Australian swimming team after qualifying for the Commonwealth Games trials. At that year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, he won a gold medal as part of the 4 × 100 freestyle relay team. He also won a silver medal in the 4x100m medley relay. With strong credentials, it may not be too bold to assume that he will one day be able to break the records of his idol Phelps.

Simpson took part in events held at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre. To do this, he had to beat his personal bests: 48.67 s in the 100 m freestyle and 51.67 s in the 100 m butterfly. His 100m freestyle record was in fact established during the B final of the Australian swimming selections. He is tied with swimmer Matt Temple. This was faster than the time required to qualify for Paris. Traditionally, the top six swimmers travel to the relay events from Australia. However, his performance does not count because it should have come earlier in the A final.

He told reporters: “There are a lot of fields in the 100m freestyle, so I knew it was going to be a little uncertain trying to qualify for that final. However, the swim is a good indication that Simpson could well make the team as the 100m butterfly event is still pending and will take place on Saturday. Will Paris welcome and inaugurate the Australian phenomenon with open arms? Time will tell us.