Cody Simpson’s transformation from pop star to swimming sensation continues.

The 25-year-old finished third in the final of 100m butterfly on Wednesday night at the Australian swimming championships.

His time of 51.96 was enough to qualify him automatically for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later this year. 

In addition, his time was right on the FINA qualifying mark, which means the ex-boyfriend of Miley Cyrus could also be heading to the world championships in Budapest in June. 

Ahead of Simpson were Australian record holder Matthew Temple with a time of 51.50, while Olympic 100m freestyle champion Kyle Chalmers placed second with a time of 51.67. 

Speaking after his race, Simpson was jubilant at the result.

‘That’s a dream come true,’ said the Pretty Brown Eyes singer.

‘I had a great swim this morning, so much progress from last year. I’ve just been busting my arse all year so it’s amazing to see results like this pay off. I was hoping to go a little quicker tonight but to scrape under is a real dream.

‘I had no idea it was going to happen this meet so I’m through the roof,’ he added.

‘I only started training a little under two years after 10-11 years out of the water. I didn’t think I’d be remotely competitive, racing this year at the earliest. To potentially make a team already is just a bonus on the way to Paris.’

Simpson qualified second fastest for the 100m butterfly final in Adelaide on Wednesday night.

The crooner registered a time of 51.79 seconds in his heat on Wednesday morning, behind only Olympic bronze medallist Matthew Temple.

Aussie legend Grant Hackett said before the trials he believed it was ‘not unrealistic’ Simpson could make the team, given his incredible progress over the past year.

‘Look, that is still going to be a stretch, but in saying that, it’s not unrealistic, given the times he’s producing,’ Hackett said.

‘I always thought the Olympics team last year was unrealistic, people got carried away with the hype, but I said at the time if he made the final that would be mind-blowing, and he did.

‘This year, getting a medal is something that’s a much higher probability than it was 12 months ago.’

Simpson, who was a national level swimmer as a child before he followed a career in music, has been training alongside Olympic heroes including Emma McKeon at a high performance centre in Queensland.

Hackett noted the commitment the singer has shown to the support and said he’s a real contender for a place in Birmingham.

‘Cody is 100 per cent committed to the sport and the preparation it takes to get onto one of these national teams and represent Australia,’ he said.

‘We’re going to see a Cody Simpson that is faster and more serious than last year, and more of a contender.

‘It’s now starting to get real for his competitors, that Cody is looking for medals this time around, not just finals.’

According to reports, Simpson and training partner McKeon have been ‘secretly dating’ for weeks after meeting while training for the upcoming Comm Games.

‘They are absolutely together. There is no doubt they are an item,’ an insider reportedly told The Daily Telegraph, adding that they have ‘fallen for one another’.

Simpson had previously narrowly missed a spot in the Australian swimming team for the Tokyo Olympics.

Source: | Dailymail.co.uk