Cody Simpson shares heartbreaking photo as pop star returns to music and drinks beer alone after Olympics agony

Cody Simpson picked up his guitar again as the desperate pop star returned to music after painfully failing to achieve his Olympic dream.

Simpson, 27, a global teenage sensation who quit his music career to pursue his swimming ambitions, missed out on selection for the Australian team for next month’s Olympic Games in Paris.

He finished fifth in the men’s 100m butterfly final at the Australian selection trials in Brisbane, missing out on a place on the plane to Paris by less than half a second.

It means he will have to watch from a distance as his girlfriend, Emma McKeon, 30, leads the 44-strong squad at the Games.

And with McKeon already on his way to Paris, Simpson gave his fans an update on Tuesday by posting a photo of himself playing guitar while sitting alone on his couch. To his left was a half-empty bottle of beer.

Simpson takes time to reflect after retiring from swimming following his heartbreak at the Olympics.

He announced this last week in a stylish Instagram post.

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

The former pop star reflects after missing out on his Olympic dream

He said goodbye to swimming friend Emma McKeon, who left for Paris

“You owe yourself the honor of cultivating your talents with as much enthusiasm and intensity as possible.

‘The privilege to become what you can become. I have left nothing to the unknown for the past four years and I can now rest knowing that every day I have put my pedal to the floor and dealt with every other little detail to take this as far as possible and it is certainly a very gone away.

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

“I promise that I will never stop trying to do extraordinary things with my life. Shoot for the moon. Land among the stars. My shot forever put me in a constellation known as that elusive club, the Australian Swim Team. Thanks swimming.”

Simpson signed off the Instagram post as “Australian Dolphin #838.”

He was seen enjoying a romantic stroll with McKeon last week, making sure he paid plenty of attention to his partner before she jetted off to France.

In a cheeky moment, he gave his girlfriend a playful pat on the bottom as they walked.

Simpson wore jeans and a black T-shirt, while Emma wore an off-white Annie Bing hoodie and black cycling shorts.