Isaac Cooper steps down from Australian swimming leadership group

Gold medal-winning swimmer Isaac Cooper has stepped down from Australian swimming’s leadership group after preferring a drinking session to supporting his teammates at the pool at the Commonwealth Games.

The 22-year-old missed the final night of competition in Glasgow as well as the team’s wrap-up meeting. He was seen drinking in Glasgow while teammates were competing, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Isaac did not attend the final night of the swimming competition or final team meeting in Glasgow which is in conflict with team expectations,” a statement from Swimming Australia said. “Isaac has since voluntarily stood down from the team’s athlete leadership group.”

The sanction ends the team’s Commonwealth Games on a sour note, distracting from what had been a successful meet that brought a record 37 gold medals.

Cooper is one of Australia’s most prominent swimmers. He won gold at the 50m at the 2024 World Championships in Doha, and has appeared at two Olympics. He was used to promote the Commonwealth Games, including participating in the King’s Baton Relay at the Great Barrier Reef.

Ahead of competition in Glasgow, Cooper had spoken of his pride of being named to the leadership group after a major indiscretion four years ago. He was sent home from a swim camp ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games for “some wellbeing challenges, including the use of medication”, robbing the then-medal favourite of a chance to win gold.

In Glasgow, the backstroker withdrew from his 100m final after qualifying eighth, and his final swim at the Games was a heat in the 4x100 medley relay. He received a gold in that event after his teammates won the final. Cooper also finished sixth in the 50m backstroke final.

Henry Allan has eclipsed Cooper as the country’s premier men’s backstroker and finished fifth in the 50m, one hundredth of a second ahead of his teammate. Allan was also fifth in the 100m, as well as the same position in the 200m, underlining the 18-year-old’s potential and versatility.

Cooper is still set to represent Australia at the Pan Pacific Championships in California later this month. “We look forward to watching Isaac compete at the Pan Pacific Championships,” Swimming Australia’s statement read.